A teenager was among the four victims of the English Channel boat sinking in the early hours of Wednesday as another four migrants remain missing.
Roger Gough, the leader of Kent County Council, said that 12 of the survivors were unaccompanied child asylum seekers and had been taken into care, the Kent Messenger reported.
“There are a further four people missing,” he added, describing the tragedy as “a sobering reminder of the human costs of what is an ongoing crisis”.
The missing people would bring the total death toll of the sinking to eight, coming just a year after at least 27 people drowned attempting the same crossing.
French authorities said that the current cold sea temperature in the Channel, of around 10C, had reduced the survival time for anyone in the water to two hours.
A spokesperson for the local prefecture said around a dozen dinghies had launched from the French coast on Tuesday night, and that it was informed of one in distress at 2am.
The authority confirmed that charity Utopia56 gave the French coastguard the boat’s position, after receiving a voice note from a passenger saying: “We are in a boat, we have a problem. Please help us. There are children and families in the boat, water is coming in from the back. We are in the water.”
French authorities said they alerted nearby vessels and within minutes, a fishing boat spotted the dinghy and gave information suggesting that it was soon going to enter British waters.
“From 2.13am [UK time], the Dover Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and French coastguard were in permanent contact in order to have a shared understanding of the ongoing crossings,” a spokesperson added.
“French authorities have given their full support and assistance to the British authorities throughout this operation.”
They estimate that the boat crossed into British waters shortly after 2.30am, around half an hour before a passing fishing vessel came across the sinking dinghy and started pulling people to safety.
Skipper Ray Strachan told Sky News how he looked overboard to see “people in the water everywhere, screaming” and the crew scrambled to save as many people as they could.
Ben Squire, the owner of the Arcturus vessel, said the captain called him during the incident and told how they warmed the survivors up with showers, then gave them dry clothes and food before sailing to Dover.
“We're very, very proud of how the crew of ours reacted,” he told The Independent.
“It's very sad. Without the Arcturus being there, it would have been another situation altogether.”
The RNLI said its volunteers arrived on the scene shortly afterwards, facing a “harrowing situation” with people still in the water.
Speaking at Dungeness lifeboat station in Kent on Thursday, lifeboat official Simon Ling said: “Once alerted by the coastguard, our crews were paged from a number of stations and arrived on scene about 10 minutes after launch.
“The fishing boats were already on the scene but it’s fair to say the crews arrived to quite a distressing and harrowing situation, with persons in the water in varying levels of distress.
“Ahead of any investigation or review of what happened, it’s fair to say that the fishing boat and the actions of its crew undoubtedly saved countless lives, and the RNLI would very much want to recognise that.”
The RNLI has been targeted by some right-wing commentators and extremist groups for rescuing migrants in the English Channel, and said it was “incredibly proud” of its work.
A spokesperson added: “We do not judge anyone who we rescue, or how they came to be in the water. We mourn the lives that have been lost to drowning and thank our volunteer crews for their continued dedication and commitment.”
British and French ships and helicopters scoured the area but the search for survivors was suspended on Wednesday night. UK authorities said they had been using drones on Thursday to look for more victims.
A government spokesperson said the official British search and rescue operation began at 2.16am on Wednesday but confirmed that the first vessel on the scene was the fishing crew, who arrived shortly after 3am.
“In the following hours, a total of 43 people have so far been recovered from the water – 39 people were rescued alive but four sadly died,” a statement added.
“Overnight and today the search continues with aerial assets to ensure that everyone is accounted for. HM Coastguard have been broadcasting to all shipping requesting that they post lookouts on board their vessels and report any sightings to Dover Coastguard.
“Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic incident and with the families of those who have lost their lives.”
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is conducting a preliminary assessment of the incident, ahead of a formal decision on whether to launch an investigation.
The disaster came as migrants continued to attempt treacherous Channel crossings in freezing weather, after a record number of people reached the UK in dinghies so far this year.
Crossings have continued to rocket despite successive policies the British government claimed to be “deterrents”, and a new deal seeing the UK pay France £63m to increase security along its coast.
In a joint statement, home secretary Suella Braverman and French interior minister Gérald Darmanin, said Wednesday’s disaster was a “stark reminder of the urgent need to destroy the business model of people smugglers”.
