Teen survivor of migrant boat sinking among four arrested over disaster in English Channel

A teenage boy who survived a migrant boat sinking that left at least six people dead in the English Channel has been arrested has part of a probe into the incident. The Sudanese boy, aged 16 or 17, was rescued and taken back to France after the boat suffered engine damage and capsized. He is suspected of “activiely participating” in the crossing in exchange for reduced rate for his own passage to Britain, according to French authorities. He is among four people being detained as part of an investigation into the incident, with alleged offences including manslaughter and criminal association. The probe was announced as official figures showed another 444 people arrived in small boats on Wednesday, pushing the total for this year over 17,000. A pregnant woman and young children were among those rescued, as crossings surged just days after Saturday’s disaster. The teenager and another Sudanese man in his 20s were among 38 survivors who were taken to safety in France following the sinking. Twenty-three more were rescued and brought ashore in the UK. At least six people, thought to be Afghan refugees, died. Authorities fear other victims may have drowned but remain missing at sea. Two Iraqi men who were allegedly part of the smuggling network that organised the crossing have also been detained on French soil. The specialist Junalco organised crime unit, which leads major people smuggling investigations in France, said the sinking happened around 12 miles from the French coast on the night of 11 to 12 August. “Investigations at this stage have made it possible to establish that the makeshift boat had suffered engine damage and had torn at sea, when most of the passengers did not have life jackets,” a spokesperson said. “Almost all of [those on board] were of Afghan nationality and had passed through the ‘Jungle’ camp in Calais, before setting off from a beach further from the town.” A passing commercial ship saw the dinghy sinking and called the emergency services at around 4.20am local time (3.20am BST), authorities said, and several nearby ships were diverted to the area. A Navy tugboat, French rescue crew, two British rescue boats and helicopter were deployed to locate the boat, but several people were already in the water. One person was declared dead after being pulled from the sea and evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Calais, while another five bodies were recovered. Searches continued into Saturday afternoon but no other people were found, and survivors’ accounts suggested others may have boarded the vessel in France. Junalco said it had made a request to British law enforcement for assistance with its ongoing investigation, following interviews of survivors in the UK. More than 50 people are thought to have drowned attempting to cross the Channel since 2018, while others have lost their lives attempting to board lorries and trains in France, or walk through the Channel Tunnel. On 10 August, several people were rescued from a sinking dinghy that had reached British waters. The RNLI said it pulled several people from the water but believed everyone was accounted for. The previous day, French authorities reported six children suffering from hypothermia had been taken to hospital after their boat went down off the coast near Sangatte. More than 17,200 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, around 15 per cent down on the over 20,000 seen by the same point in 2022. Weeks of unseasonably windy weather and rough seas had suppressed crossings, but high numbers are expected if calm and fine conditions continue in the coming days. Prime minister Rishi Sunak has made “stopping the boats” one of his top five priorities ahead of the next general election, but government attempts to deter crossings have so far failed amid a lack of alternative safe and legal routes for asylum seekers. Afghans are now the most common nationality making the journey, following the collapse of resettlement schemes after the 2021 Taliban takeover. There has been an increase in Sudanese asylum seekers after conflict broke out earlier this year, and the government refused to set up a route for people fleeing the country. Read More Six dead and dozens rescued after migrant boat capsizes in Channel as search continues Sudanese refugees face deportation from UK as government fails to set up safe and legal routes Bibby Stockholm migrants won’t be back on barge ‘for weeks’ after Legionella scare Small boat arrivals continue as Channel crossings set to top 17,000 Ministers urged not to ‘abandon’ Afghans on anniversary of Taliban takeover Minister vows to make Afghan resettlement schemes ‘work properly’