Boat 'not fit' for Channel crossing

AN investigation into the sinking of a migrant boat in the Channel which claimed at least eight lives in December 2022 found the dinghy was "wholly unsuitable and ill-equipped for the crossing attempt".

The report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also revealed the occupants could only raise the alarm by mobile phone.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Dover was informed at 2.13am on December 14, 2022 that an inflatable boat carrying migrants from France to the UK was potentially in distress.

At around 3am, the vessel suffered "structural failure and many of the migrants entered the water", the MAIB said.

Thirty-nine migrants were rescued by fishing vessels and search and rescue personnel, but at least eight migrants died.