A 29-year-old Egyptian man has been arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in connection with a fatal Channel crossing that resulted in the death of a woman.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, saw a small boat in distress in the Channel during the early hours of the morning.
French authorities responded to the scene, where they discovered a woman in critical condition. She was recovered from the water and airlifted to a hospital but sadly passed away. The boat, still carrying around 40 people, continued on its route and eventually arrived in Dover.
The NCA, working in coordination with French authorities, launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatality.
On Monday evening, the Egyptian national was arrested in Manston, Kent, on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration. He has since been released on bail while further inquiries continue.
NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes, addressing the tragic event, said: “This tragedy demonstrates how dangerous these crossings are, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the individual who died.”
He also stressed the importance of dismantling the criminal networks behind these crossings: “Working with partners, we remain determined to target, disrupt, and dismantle the criminal networks involved in organised immigration crime, and prevent them from exploiting the desperation of others.”
Released on Bail …………………. .
Thank goodness the incident didn’t stop 40 more being helped across the channel.
Thank God for the French Navy.
Nice to see that the French who are paid to stop the boats allowed the boat to go on its illegal way to England. Bail you will not see him again and he will have got away with his crime. It in no use disrupting one gang when it will just be replaced with another one,
The jails are overflowing – that’s why he has been released on bail knowing he would flee the country.
Withdraw from the ECHR: set a prison up in sunny South Georgia: intern all illegal immigration until they wish to go back from whence they came. Which won’t be long.
But there is only one political party willing to do that. The 2029 election is a long time off: should be fun.
Welcome refugees.
The new Britons should immediately be signing on to serve and defend Ukrainian democracy right? Alongside all the chickenhawks that are clearly just waiting for the cost of petrol to come down before they set off. Million man army every year right there.