Four people have been charged with manslaughter by French authorities after at least six people drowned during an attempted illegal crossing of the Channel to England.
French authorities have opened an investigation after a people smuggling boat sank about 12 miles from the French coast on the night of Aug. 11 to 12, killing six.
The investigation is being carried out by Paris-based judges from the National Jurisdiction for Combating Organised Crime (Junalco).
Two Iraqis, born in 1980, are suspected of being part of an illegal immigration network that organised the transport of immigrants.
Two Sudanese men, born in 1994 and 2006, are suspected of having actively participated in the transport of passengers in dangerous conditions in return for a “preferential fare” on their own passage.
Some of the charges they were indicted for include manslaughter, participation in a criminal association, and causing unintentional injuries.
The ‘Jungle’
A spokesman for the Paris prosecutor’s office told The Epoch Times by email that almost all of the deceased were of Afghan nationality and had passed through the “Jungle,” a migrant settlement situated in the port town of Calais, before heading to England from a nearby beach.Authorities said that the bodies of all those confirmed dead are still being examined at the Lille Forensic Institute.
Around 61 survivors from the sinking ship were rescued alive, with 38 people being picked up by the French emergency services, and 23 on the British side.
There is uncertainty as to whether there are any passengers still missing.
Investigators added that the makeshift vessel had suffered engine damage and had been punctured at sea. The passengers did not have life jackets on.
Crossing the Channel
More than 17,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel, according to figures released on Thursday.On Wednesday, 444 people made the journey in eight boats.
This takes the provisional total for 2023 to 17,234, according to analysis of Home Office data.
Halting unauthorised routes
The UK government has a number of measures aimed at halting unauthorised routes.Under the Illegal Migration Bill, anyone who arrives in the UK illegally will be banned from claiming asylum, and will be deported to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda, and will also be banned from reentry.
The government’s plan to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda has faced resistance in the courts.
With a capacity of more than 500, the government hoped the Bibby Stockholm, together with the use of former military bases, would help reduce the £6 million a day it is spending on hotels to accommodate illegal immigrants—many of whom have arrived across the English Channel on small boats—who are waiting for their claims to be processed.
The Home Office said it was removing all 39 illegal immigrants who were onboard the vessel as a “precautionary measure.”
The Home Office said none of those on board had fallen sick or developed Legionnaires’ disease and all were being provided with “appropriate advice and support.”
