On Wednesday, British police reported that they had detained three people in connection with the deaths of five migrants – one of them was an infant who passed away the previous day while trying to cross the Channel from France.
When a tiny, jam-packed boat carrying 112 migrants tried to get across one of the busiest waterways in the world, fear broke out among the passengers not far from the coast, resulting in the deaths.
on 50 people were rescued; four were taken to the hospital, but the rest of the migrants who survived had remained on the boat, determined on approaching Britain.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) claimed that three men, two of whom were from Sudan and were ages 22 and 19, and one of whom was from South Sudan and was ages 22, were arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration and breaking the law by entering the UK.
Official Statements regarding the case
“This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life posed by these crossings and bring into focus why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organising them,” said NCA Deputy Director of investigations Craig Turner.
“We will do all we can with partners in the UK and France to secure evidence, identify those responsible for this event, and bring them to justice.”
In addition to their British counterparts, French police is still looking into the circumstances surrounding the event, according to the NCA. It also claimed that the identities of the 55 persons who were reportedly on the boat when it arrived in Britain has been verified.
This year, nearly 6,000 individuals have entered Britain on overcrowded, small boats—typically fragile inflatable dinghies—running the risk of being beaten by the waves as they attempt to reach British beaches.
The catastrophic crossing on Tuesday occurred just hours after a bill allowing undocumented asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda had been approved by the British parliament. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claims that this policy is intended to discourage people from giving the risky journey via the Channel.
