Boat on which at least eight died in Channel was ‘wholly unsuitable’

An investigation into the sinking of a migrant boat in the Channel that claimed at least eight lives in December 2022 has found that the dinghy was “wholly unsuitable and ill-equipped” for its hazardous journey and even more poorly constructed than other similar vessels making the crossing.

Of those who died, at least four bodies were never recovered and three of the four that were recovered have not yet been formally identified. The body that was identified has been returned to his family.

The report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) analysed probable reasons for the collapse of the dinghy with 47 people onboard, the youngest aged 13, from countries including Afghanistan, Sudan and Albania.

It concludes that the dinghy, named Charlie, “was poorly
built compared to the many others that had been recovered and inspected in the preceding years. It was reported that there were glue marks consistent with the presence of handholds that had come away from the tubing, and the fabric floor panel, which was constructed with one side slightly textured to improve grip, was fitted upside down.”

At about 3am on 14 December 2022 there was a “structural failure and many of the migrants entered the water”, the MAIB said.

The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Dover had been informed at 2.13am that night that the dinghy was potentially in distress. Thirty-nine people were rescued by a fishing vessel, the Arcturus, and other boats.

The first report that the dinghy was in distress came through at 1.53am. A volunteer for the French charity Utopia 56 received a global positioning system location in the Channel and a WhatsApp voice message that said: “Hello brother, we are in a boat and we have a problem, please help. We have children and family in a boat and water come in the boat and we do not have anything for the children safety. Please help bro. Please, please, please, we are in the water. We have a family.”

The sound of someone “crying loudly” could be heard in the background, the MAIB report says. The volunteer tried unsuccessfully to contact the sender before alerting authorities in Dover and Calais.

Investigators concluded that this was a “false declaration intended to expedite rescue” but at about 3am the occupants of the dinghy heard “a pop or bang and the boat started to flood rapidly from under the floorboards”, the report says.

Some people were able to cling on to the tubing on the side of the dinghy but others were forced into the water. The water temperature that night was 11C; anything below 15C can cause cold water shock that can lead to swift loss of life. The air temperature was as low as -4C.

Some NGOs have previously said they believed that passengers standing up thinking they were about to be rescued when the Arcturus came into view caused the floor of the boat to collapse.

The MAIB report does not mention this and states that a tear in the material at the base of the boat led to the fabric flooring ripping, allowing floorboards at the base of the boat to float away and in turn leading to a collapse of the side tubing towards the centre of the boat.

Due to the freezing weather, a surveillance aircraft usually used to patrol the Channel was not flying and there was a delay before the coastguard rescue helicopter was dispatched.

Ibrahima Bah, a teenager from Senegal, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter in relation to the incident. He is appealing against his conviction.