A 27-year-old Sudanese man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life following the deaths of four people attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat on Thursday. The suspect was detained by National Crime Agency investigators at the Manston processing centre in Kent on Friday.
The victims—two men and two women—died after being swept away by strong currents while trying to board a dinghy off the French coast, according to François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais. The vessel, described as a taxi-boat, had been travelling along the northern French and Belgian coasts to pick up migrants along the shore.
Human rights organisations, including Humans For Rights Network and Project Play, criticised UK and French policies, saying the increased use of such dangerous taxi-boats is a direct result of intensified police interception of people and boats on French beaches funded by the UK. Migrants are now forced to wade out to sea to board these dinghies.
The suspect was arrested under the new Border, Security, Asylum and Immigration Act on suspicion of endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK. He remains in police custody and is due to be interviewed by NCA officers. A French-led investigation into the circumstances of the launch and the four fatalities is ongoing.
Craig Turner, deputy director of the NCA, stated: 'Working with colleagues at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these four tragic deaths.' Mike Tapp, minister for migration and citizenship, added that every death in the Channel is a tragedy and that law enforcement teams will continue working with international partners to prevent perilous journeys.
In a separate case under the same law, a child has been charged with endangering others during a small boat crossing. The boy, who cannot be identified and is assessed to be under 18, is in local authority care after arriving in the UK earlier this year.
