Two men arrested by the National Crime Agency following the deaths of five migrants in the Channel on Tuesday have been charged.
Yien Both, a 22-year-old from South Sudan, has been charged with assisting unlawful immigration and attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance.
Tajdeen Abdulaziz Juma, a 22-year-old Sudanese national, has been charged with attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance.
Both men have been remanded in custody and are expected to appear before Folkestone Magistrates later today.
Five migrants lost their lives off the French coastGB NewsA third man, an 18-year-old from Sudan, has been bailed pending further enquiries.
The NCA, alongside officers from Kent Police and Immigration Enforcement and Border Force, said they continued to support the French-led investigation into the circumstances which led to the deaths in Wimereux on Tuesday.
A man, three women and a child died after their vastly overcrowded small boat got into difficulties off the beach at Wimereux, near Boulogne.
Some of the migrants who were killed on a small boat were crushed to death, whilst others drowned, French investigators revealed yesterday.
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Many of the migrants likely paid around £1,000 to people smugglers to gain a spot on the dinghyPAThe vessel was packed with 112 people, instead of a recommended 20.
Around 50 of the migrants aboard, who likely paid around £1,000 to people smugglers to gain a spot on the dinghy, are understood to have been flung out of the boat and plunged into the freezing water.
Some of the migrants fell onto the boat and ended up suffocating to death after being trampled underfoot.
“They were effectively suffocated while struggling to get out of the trap,” said an investigating source.
A criminal inquiry is now underway following the death of the five individuals
PA“Others on board simply wanted to get on with the journey to Britain, and this is exactly what happened.”
Guirec Le Bras, the port town's prosecutor, announced that an enquiry has been launched into “manslaughter, criminal association, and the assistance of foreigners in an irregular situation”.
Alleged smugglers were arrested on Monday night and their boats were confiscated, Le Bras said.
The very same day, more than 400 migrants crossed the Channel illegally according to the latest Home Office figures.
Provisional statistics revealed a total of 402 migrants made the crossing in seven small boats by early evening on Tuesday.