A Paris court has sentenced six men to between six and 10 years in prison for manslaughter over the deaths of at least 27 people who drowned while attempting to cross the English Channel in November 2021.
The disaster remains the deadliest recorded mass drowning involving a small boat crossing the Channel. The victims were travelling in an overcrowded inflatable dinghy that prosecutors said was uncertified, unsuitable for open-sea travel and lacked adequate life jackets.
The boat began taking on water after several hours at sea as passengers attempted to make the journey from northern France to Britain.According to evidence presented in court, passengers made about a dozen calls for help to French and British rescue services as the situation deteriorated.
The boat was eventually located by a French fishing vessel nearly 12 hours after the first distress calls. Only two people survived the sinking. Most of those who died were Iraqi Kurds, while others came from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iran, Somalia, Vietnam and Egypt. The youngest known victim was a seven-year-old girl. Four people remained missing several years after the tragedy, according to reports from the court proceedings.
Prosecutors argued that the six men were connected to smuggling networks that organised the migrants’ journey and helped place them aboard the unsafe vessel. Seven other men were convicted of lesser offences related to people smuggling, while one defendant was acquitted. The case has also raised questions about the response of French and British rescue authorities.
A separate French investigation is examining seven military personnel over allegations that they failed to assist people in danger. The personnel deny the allegations, and that investigation remains separate from the convictions of the six men. For families of the victims, the verdict comes nearly five years after the disaster.
Relatives told the court about the continuing pain of losing loved ones, with some still waiting for the remains of family members who were never recovered.
