Paris court tries fourteen alleged smugglers over deadliest Channel migrant sinking

In a Paris correctional court, a prosecutor opened the hearing by recalling the harrowing image of dozens of corpses found after a migrant boat sank in the English Channel. Fourteen men are accused of organizing the voyage, with two still evading authorities. The vessel, described as substandard and overloaded, was launched without proper safety equipment, causing the deaths of at least 31 people attempting to reach England.

Victims were primarily Iraqi Kurds, with others from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iranian Kurdistan, Ethiopia and Vietnam; only a Somali and an Iraqi survived. The indictment extends liability to individuals who are said to have transported, housed or accompanied the migrants, forming a chain of responsibility for the tragedy.