UK coastguards under investigation after migrants die in English Channel

14 February 2024 , 16:38

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Thousands of people have made the dangerous journey in small boats from France to England [stock] (Image: Getty Images)

British coastguards are under investigation in France following the deaths of four UK-bound migrants in the English Channel.

It follows the filing of complaints for ‘involuntary manslaughter’ and ‘failure to render aid’ by the refugee aid charity Utopia 56. In legal documents, the association complains to the Boulogne-Sur-Mer public prosecutor about a maritime disaster on December 14, 2022 when dozens of people on a small boat ended up in the sea.

Many, including Afghan and Iranian nationals, were pulled out of the water by rescuers in the early hours of the morning, but – it is claimed – both the British and the French were too slow in their response. This led to four people drowning in horrific circumstances, including some getting trapped inside the sinking inflatable.

The boat was being piloted by Senegal national Ibrahima Bah, 19, who is currently on trial at Canterbury Crown Court on four counts of manslaughter and one of breaking immigration law.
Bah denies any wrongdoing in connection with the disaster, which claimed the lives of one man called Hajratullah Ahmadi and three others described as ‘unknown’.

The defendant, himself a migrant, claimed he was assaulted by people smugglers and threatened with death if he did not go ahead with the voyage. As Bah’s trial continues, the French authorities will be focusing on any possible culpability by official agencies.

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A legal source in Boulogne said: "The complaint was filed to the Prosecutor early this month, and it focuses on the way the British and French authorities dealt with Mayday calls for help. The complaint is currently being investigated."

Ibrahima Bah, 19, at Folkestone Magistrates' Court, Kent (court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook) (PA)

Those facing allegations that could lead to prison sentences and fines are His Majesty’s Coastguard, the Maritime Prefect in France, and the director of the Cross de Gris-Nez emergency centre, near Calais, said the source. Tapes released by Utopia 56 record the boat sinking, as the desperate migrants plead for help.

A distress message received at 2.54am includes the message: "Please help. We have children and family in the boat." The unnamed caller to an emergency line set up by Utopia 56 says: "Please help me, brother. Please. Please. Please. We are in the water; we have a family."

A Utopia 56 email was then sent to the Cross de Griz-Nez, and also to the British emergency services. It read: "Problem: water in the boat…There are families with children on board…They are urgently asking for help."

Despite this, Utopia 56 claims, it was not until 3.40am that the first rescue boat left the coast of England. The English fishing boat Arcturus was able to rescue 11 people in the sea, but many remained trapped inside the dinghy, which had 48 men, women and children on board when it left France.

A criminal investigation has also been opened in France into another collapsing boat disaster on November 24, 2021, when 27 people died. Seven French military personnel who were manning phones at the Cross de Gris-Nez centre on the night face charges. A total of 29,437 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats from France, despite efforts by both the UK and French governments to halt the hugely dangerous journeys.

Peter Allen