France tries 14 over deadliest Channel migrant crossing disaster

Fourteen people are set to go on trial in France on Tuesday over the deaths of 31 migrants, including a seven-year-old, in the Channel’s deadliest small-boat disaster on record in 2021. Prosecutors say the defendants, believed to be linked to people-smuggling networks, played roles in the sinking off Calais on November 24, 2021, when 27 people—mostly Iraqi Kurds—were confirmed dead; four others remain unaccounted for. Only two men survived, after the boat reportedly began deflating and taking on water following hours at sea. Victims ranged from ages 7 to 46 and included Afghans, Ethiopians and Egyptians. The trial is notable for 114 civil parties and charges including manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration through an organised criminal group. A separate investigation into French military and rescue personnel is still ongoing after a UK inquiry said some deaths may have been avoidable.