Sudanese migrant arrested in UK after four people die trying to cross the Channel

A Sudanese migrant has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life after four people died attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat.

Two men and two women died on Thursday when they tried to board a “water taxi”, a type of dinghy used by smugglers to pick up migrants off the coast of France.

The 27-year-old man was arrested on Friday morning at Manston immigration processing centre in Kent on suspicion of the new offence of endangering others during a journey to the UK by sea.

Thirty-eight people were returned to France after the incident on Thursday morning, with one person suffering hypothermia and two children among those taken to hospital as a precaution.

However, 74 migrants sailed on to the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. The incident happened off the coast of Saint Etienne au Mont, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer near Calais.

Rescue vehicles and medical units gather on the beach to treat victims after an attempt to cross the English Channel illegally turned tragic with several migrants found in cardiac arrest, in France's Pas-de-Calais northern coastal city of Equihen-Plage on April 9, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

Francois-Xavier Launch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, told reporters that the four who died “were attempting to board a taxi-boat”.

He added: “They were already quite far into the sea. The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away.”

The NCA said that the 27-year-old suspect remained in police custody to be interviewed by officers. Investigators are also interviewing others who made the journey to the UK.

French authorities are leading an investigation into the circumstances of the launch and the four deaths.

Rescue units handle victims after an attempt to cross the English Channel illegally turned tragic (AFP via Getty Images)

Craig Turner, NCA Deputy Director, said they were “determined to do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these four tragic deaths.”

The new offence of endangering others during a sea crossing was introduced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act and came into force on 5 January.

Minister for migration, Mike Tapp, said: “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy. Our experienced law enforcement teams will continue working relentlessly with international partners to prevent these perilous journeys and bring those responsible to justice.

"Through our Border Security Act, officers now have stronger powers to act earlier and disrupt, intercept and take down the operations of criminal smuggling gangs who bring illegal migrants to our shores."