Sudanese man charged after channel crossing deaths

A Sudanese man has been charged after four people died trying to cross the English Channel, reports Sky News. The victims – two men and two women – had attempted to board an inflatable dinghy last Thursday at Equihen-Plage, south of Boulogne-sur-mer, near Calais, but were swept away by strong currents, according to French authorities. Alnour Mohamed Ali was charged with endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Ali allegedly piloted the boat from France to Britain. He appeared before Folkestone Magistrate's Court on Saturday and indicated a not guilty plea via an interpreter. Ali was remanded into custody and will appear at Canterbury Crown Court on 11 May. The NCA said 38 people were returned to the French shore after the incident, but 74 migrants travelled on to the UK. 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 dinghies along stretches of ‌the northern French and Belgian coasts, picking migrants up along the shore. Authorities refer to them as ‘taxi-boats’. 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.

Full Sky News report