Nine suspected migrant smugglers go on trial in France over boat deaths
Nine men went on trial on Monday, June 16, in France suspected of smuggling people on a small boat that capsized in the English Channel, killing eight passengers in 2022. Four people died and four went missing after the boat capsized a few kilometers from the English coast with only one of the bodies identified – an Afghan man. Rescuers saved 39 people from the shipwreck. The small boat departed France early on December 14, 2022, carrying people from Afghanistan, Albania, India and Senegal.
The eight suspects – Afghans and Kurds aged between 22 and 40 – are being tried in the city of Lille in northern France until Friday, on charges of involuntary manslaughter by violating security obligations. Another suspect has not been caught and is being tried in absentia, with one other to go on trial separately later.
According to the investigation, several people heard a loud bang that sounded like the boat had been punctured before the departure. The smugglers told the passengers not to worry and that the boat was the only one available for the crossing.
But the sea was rough and there were not enough life jackets for all the passengers – those who died were not wearing any, according to the testimony of survivors. After one or two hours, the boat filled with water and panicked passengers stood up to get the attention of another ship, but the hull of the capsizing boat burst under the weight of the water. All the passengers fell into the freezing sea.
According to the investigation, some of the defendants are suspected of recruiting the smugglers and organizing the logistics of the crossing. Others are accused of heading the operation at the Loon-Plage migrant camp in northern France, where the migrants lived. A Senegalese migrant who was steering the boat was arrested and jailed in Britain.
Attempts to cross the Channel in small boats have increased since 2018, causing many shipwrecks. In November 2021, 27 people lost their lives in the deadliest such incident to date. At least 15 migrants have died in the Channel since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP tally based on official numbers. Weather conditions are often difficult in the body of water, which is one of the busiest in the world.
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