Three quizzed over deaths of migrants in Channel tragedy
THREE suspected people-smugglers have been arrested in Britain after five migrants including a girl of seven died trying to cross the Channel.
The National Crime Agency said investigators were questioning two men from Sudan, aged 19 and 22, and a third 22-year-old suspect from South Sudan over the tragedy.
They were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and of entering the UK illegally themselves.
The 55 surviving boat passengers have been interviewed and are expected to be spoken to again in the coming days.
Craig Turner, NCA deputy director of investigations, said: “This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life posed by these crossings and brings into focus why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organising them.
“We will do all we can with partners in the UK and France to secure evidence, identify those responsible for this event, and bring them to justice.”
More than 400 migrants arrived in the UK on Tuesday, the day the group of five died.
The tragedy off the coast of northern France unfolded just hours after Parliament passed legislation aimed at getting the Government’s plan to give asylum seekers a one-way ticket to Rwanda off the ground.
A dinghy carrying at least 112 people set off from Wimereux, 20 miles along the coast from Calais, at around 6am on Tuesday but got into difficulty. Three men, a woman and a girl died, according to the French coastguard.
Some 49 were rescued but 58 others refused to leave the boat and continued to the UK. Home Office figures show 402 people made the journey on Tuesday in seven vessels after an eight-day break in activity. This was an average of around 57 people in each boat.
Young children and babies were among those seen being taken ashore in Dover, while witnesses saw crews carrying someone on a stretcher from a lifeboat to an ambulance.
The latest crossings take the provisional total for the year so far to 6,667, which is 20% higher than the 5,546 this time last year but slightly lower than the 6,691 in 2022.
Some 29,437 made the journey in 2023, down 36% on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022. Campaigners warned the Rwanda plan will not save lives and called for the Channel not to become a graveyard for children. But PM Rishi Sunak said the incident underscores the need for the deterrent of sending migrants to the east African nation if they arrive illegally.
Guirec Le Bras, the Boulogne prosecutor, has opened an inquiry into “manslaughter, criminal association and the assistance of foreigners in an irregular situation”.
Some alleged smugglers suspected of charging up to £1,000-a-head have been arrested in France following the tragedy and their nautical equipment confiscated, said Mr Le Bras.
He also confirmed that police had fought running battles with migrants intent on heading to sea in the lead-up to the tragedy.
The latest deaths bring the number of migrants this year who have lost their lives trying to cross the Channel to 14.
In November 2021, at least 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK, the highest recorded number of fatalities in a single incident.