An inquest has learned that drowning is the preliminary cause of death for the four persons who perished after a boat capsized in the English Channel.
The deaths have not been identified, according to Kent area coroner Katrina Hepburn, who opened an inquest on Friday morning at County Hall in Maidstone.
According to a Kent Police report, it is “probable” that two were Afghanis and the other three were Senegalese. It went on: ‘The provisional cause of death is consistent with drowning.’
In light of an ongoing police investigation, Ms. Hepburn postponed the hearings to a later time.
Just one day after Rishi Sunak announced measures to reduce the number of persons undertaking the dangerous crossings of the English Channel, tragedy struck on December 14.
Around 3:05 am, reports of a tiny boat in trouble aroused the authorities, sparking a concerted rescue effort. In a heartbreaking video, a fishing crew on the Arcturus was seen yanking people by the ropes from a half-deflated dinghy’s side.
According to reports, the inflatable boat overturned as the temperature dropped to -4°C.
Mr. Sunak had made the following statement in the Commons: “I’m sure the entire house will join my sorrow at the awful loss of human life and the capsizing of a tiny boat in the Channel in the early hours of this morning.”
“Our thoughts go out to all those impacted and our tributes to all involved in the massive rescue operation,” was the statement.
Following the incident, Clare Moseley, the founder of Care4Calais, slammed the government, accusing it of “doing nothing to avoid additional tragedies and failing both the refugees who need our care and our country.”
She had added: ‘There are no words to express our horror and grief at today’s tragedy.’
Small boats carried more than 40,000 passengers across the English Channel in 2022. This is the most significant amount since data collection began in 2018.
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After a small boat capsized, four migrants drowned in the icy Channel, an inquest finds
After their small boat capsized in the early hours of December 14, another 39 individuals had to be saved. A small boat capsized in the English Channel last week, killing four migrants who drowned in the icy water, according to an inquest.
According to senior coroner Patricia Harding, who presided over the hearing in Maidstone’s County Hall, the fatalities have not yet been identified.
However, a report by Detective Inspector Ross Garden of Kent Police said it is “possible” two of them were Afghanis, while the others were Senegalese. “The provisional cause of death is consistent with drowning,” it said.
In the wee hours of December 14, 39 more persons were saved from the icy waters.
Following reports of a boat in danger off the coast of Kent, the Royal Navy, French navy, Coastguard, RNLI, ambulance service, and police all took part in a significant effort. A fishing boat was the first of three ships to assist with the rescue.
In light of an ongoing police investigation, Ms. Hepburn postponed the hearings to a later time.
The Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate is looking into the fatalities with help from the National Crime Agency.
Last week, 19-year-old Ibrahima Bah, of no fixed address, was charged with “knowingly facilitating” the attempted arrival of people “he knew or had reasonable cause to believe were asylum seekers,” according to Kent police.
He appeared at Kent’s Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Monday and entered a not-guilty plea to aiding an attempt to enter the country illegally.
It is believed that UK officials saved 50 further asylum seekers on the same night from a second tiny boat that capsized in the English Channel. The Border Force team saved everyone from the freezing waters in that incident.
After the tragic event, Rishi Sunak faced further pressure to create a safe refugee route to the UK.
However, he concluded that he could not begin to overhaul the UK’s asylum system until the number of illegal immigrants had been decreased under his plan, despite his assertion that the terrible deaths reinforced the need to crack down on risky Channel crossings.
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A new operational command for small boats has been established, and 600 additional employees have been hired to fill front-line positions in and around Dover as part of the measures to reduce Channel crossings.
The Ministry of Defence’s current leadership role in Channel operations ends on January 31, and Border Force will again take overall responsibility.
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