Deaths occurred when a small, overcrowded boat with 112 people on board crossed the English Channel and panic broke out.
British police say they have arrested three men over the deaths of five people, including a child, who died while trying to cross the English Channel from France.
The deaths occurred as a small, overcrowded boat with 112 people on board crossed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and panic broke out among passengers not far from shore.
Rescuers picked up about 50 people, four of whom were taken to hospital but others remained on the boat, determined to get to Britain.
Three men, two Sudanese nationals aged 22 and 19 and a South Sudanese national aged 22, were arrested on Tuesday evening on suspicion of “facilitating illegal immigration and entry into the UK”, the National Crime Agency said ( NCA).
“This tragic incident once again highlights the threat to lives posed by these crossings and highlights why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organizing these crossings,” said Craig Turner , NCA deputy director of investigations.
“We will do everything we can with partners in the UK and France to preserve evidence, identify those responsible for this event and bring them to justice.”
French police, alongside their British counterparts, are also investigating the circumstances of the incident, the NCA said.
It said 55 people believed to have been on board the boat that arrived in Britain had also been identified.
More than 6,000 people have arrived in the UK this year in small, overloaded boats – usually thin inflatable boats – which risk being buffeted by waves as they try to reach British shores.
Tuesday’s fatal crossing came just hours after Parliament passed a bill paving the way for asylum seekers who arrive in Britain without permission to be deported to Rwanda.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak argues the policy will deter people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.
Critics say the plan to deport people to Rwanda instead of caring for asylum seekers at home is inhumane. They point to concerns about the East African country’s human rights record and the risk that asylum seekers will be sent back to countries where they would be in danger.
More than 120,000 people – many fleeing wars and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia – have reached the UK since 2018, crossing the English Channel in small boats on trips organized by people smuggling gangs.
According to the Refugee Council, 29,437 asylum seekers traveled across the border last year, one in five of whom came from Afghanistan.