Fourteen men go on trial in Paris over deadliest small-boat Channel crossing

A tribute to the worst mass drowning from a small-boat crossing on record lists the names of people who have died crossing the Channel since 1999. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Fourteen men have gone on trial in Paris over the deaths of at least 31 people in the worst mass drowning from a small-boat crossing in the Channel on record.

The accused men, alleged to be linked to people-smuggling networks, face charges including manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration as part of an organised criminal group.