Man arrested after four people died trying to cross English Channel

A man has been arrested after two men and two women died attempting to cross the English Channel.

The suspect, a 27-year-old Sudanese national, was held at Manston processing centre, in Kent, on Friday morning on suspicion of "endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK", the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The four who died had tried to board a dinghy at Equihen-Plage, south of Boulogne-sur-mer, near Calais, but were swept away by strong currents at around 7am local time on Thursday, according to French authorities.

The NCA said 38 people were returned to the French shore but 74 migrants sailed on to the UK.

The suspect is in custody for questioning, while those who made the journey to the UK are also being interviewed.

An investigation into the circumstances of the deaths of the two men and two women, whose identities have not yet been released, is being led by French prosecutors.

Craig Turner, NCA deputy director, said: "Working with colleagues at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these four tragic deaths."

The latest fatalities came less than two weeks after two migrants died off the coast of France during an attempt to cross the Channel, one of the world's ​busiest shipping lanes.

In the ‌past year, traffickers have taken to motor dinghies along stretches of ‌the northern French and Belgian coasts, picking migrants up along the shore. Authorities refer to them as 'taxi-boats'.

Francois-Xavier Lauch, an official for Pas-de-Calais, said on Thursday "the people who died were attempting to board a taxi-boat".

"They were already quite far into the sea," he said.

"The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away."

Two children were among those taken to hospital as a precaution after the incident and another person was treated for hypothermia.

The UK government last month signed an extension with France over current arrangements on beach patrols as part of efforts to reduce the number of Channel crossings.

On Wednesday, French emergency services took part in a training exercise to practise dealing with migrants in the water at the same beach where the deaths happened.

Migration minister Mike Tapp said: "Every death in the Channel is a tragedy. Our experienced law enforcement teams will continue working relentlessly with international partners to prevent these perilous journeys and bring those responsible to justice.

"Through our Border Security Act, officers now have stronger powers to act earlier and disrupt, intercept and take down the operations of criminal smuggling gangs who bring illegal migrants to our shores."

More than 5,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, according to Home Office data.

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