Boy, 12, who survived channel boat tragedy had family wiped out by Taliban
A 12-year-old boy who survived a migrant boat tragedy in the Channel was escaping Afghanistan, where his whole family were reportedly killed by the Taliban.
The boy had been onboard a flimsy dinghy that capsized in freezing waters on its way from France to England, leaving four dead. He and more than 30 others were rescued by a fishing boat crew.
The crew's captain, Raymond Strachan, 54, said he was asleep on his boat when his crew woke him to say they'd discovered migrants in the water, clinging onto their boat.
He told The Sunday Post : "The sea was calm, but there was an eerie haze on the water. The first people we rescued were pulled out of the water. They had swum towards us."
One of the 12-year-old boys rescued from the dinghy
Migrants being rescued by the fishing crew last month (UkNewsinPictures)Mr Strachan said there had been 40 people trying to cross the Channel in an inflatable dinghy designed for 12 when the tragedy struck on December 16.
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In addition to Afghanistan, those rescued said they'd travelled from Iraq, Senegal, and India.
The crew helped the migrants into the fishing boat and gave them a hot shower and warm clothes and quilts.
Mr Strachan said some were wearing just jeans and T-shirts with no life jackets. They told the crew how the dinghy had ripped because there were too many people onboard, and water was coming in.
The captain said one of the first migrants he spoke to was a 12-year-old Afghan boy, who he noticed because he looked so young.
"I took off his wet jacket and life jacket and told him to get down below and get into a warm shower," he said. "We made sure he was warm, dry and safe. Another two kids from Afghanistan, 12 and 13, were also rescued by my crew."
Some days later, a police officer phoned Mr Strachan with a message from one of the 12-year-old boys.
"He said he wanted to thank us for saving his life because that night he thought he was going to die. He said he fled Afghanistan because all his family were killed by the Taliban," Mr Strachan said.
The British fishing trawler that helped rescue dozens of migrants from a sinking dinghyKent County Council is now caring for the 12 children who were rescued.
The Royal Navy, French navy, Coastguard, RNLI lifeboats, ambulance service, and police were also involved in the rescue.
A spokesman for a French charity said it was sent a voice message in the early hours of the morning from migrants in a waterlogged boat begging for help and that babies could be heard screaming in the background, The Daily Mail reports.
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Nikolai Posner, communications officer for charity Utopia 56, which helps migrants in Calais, said a 22-second WhatsApp voice note was left at around 2am UK time.
In the voice note, a man can be heard saying there was water inside the boat with "families and kids" on board, according to Mr Posner.
He said: "It was clearly an emergency, he was calling for help... In the background of the message we can hear babies screaming."
Mr Posner said they tried to respond to the message but could see their reply was not received. They then contacted the French and UK coast guards.
In a voice note obtained by Channel 4 News, meanwhile, a male voice can be heard saying they were having problems in the boat, that water was coming in, and that there were children and families in the dinghy.
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