British authorities announced on Thursday that they had apprehended yet another individual following the deaths of five migrants, including a child, during an attempted Channel crossing from France earlier this week.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) disclosed that they had taken into custody an 18-year-old Sudanese individual on Wednesday night.
The arrest was made on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and illegally entering the UK. This development is a part of an ongoing investigation into the small boat crossing incident that led to the tragic deaths of five individuals on a French beach on Tuesday.
In addition to the latest arrest, the NCA had previously detained two Sudanese nationals aged 19 and 22, as well as a 22-year-old South Sudanese national, on similar charges in the days prior. The 19-year-old has since been released without charges and is now under the purview of immigration authorities.
The most recent arrest occurred in Manston, Kent, located in southeast England, where the suspect was taken in for questioning.
The victims, comprising three men, a woman, and a seven-year-old girl, perished in the early hours of Tuesday near the northern French town of Wimereux.
They were part of a group aboard a crowded boat whose engine failed just a short distance from the shore. Despite rescue efforts that saved around 50 individuals, emergency responders were unable to revive the five victims.
According to records from Agence France-Presse, a total of fifteen people have lost their lives this year attempting the perilous journey through the channel. This figure already surpasses the twelve deaths recorded for the entirety of last year.
