Traffickers resume trading after canal tragedy when two 15-year-old boys were brought ashore by RNLI

Just three days after a tragedy that left four dead, traffickers on Saturday again sent vulnerable asylum seekers and migrants across the English Channel in small boats.

A group of up to 12 people, including two 15-year-old boys, arrived on English soil after being picked up by the RNLI in the English Channel on Saturday.

The group arrived at Dungeness after being met by the Dungeness Lifeboat as they made the crossing in extremely choppy waters.

It comes just two days after a major incident was reported in the canal, when a sinking boat resulted in four deaths and 39 survivors, who were pulled from the freezing waters by several rescue ships.

A group of up to 12 people have been safely brought ashore by the RNLI after being sent into troubled waters by criminal trafficking gangs

Two 15-year-old boys were among the small group rescued on Saturday

Kent Police have been called to Dover to support HM Coastguard after a report of a small boat in distress was received in the early hours of Wednesday.

Crossing the channel is extremely dangerous for small boats and rubber dinghies and many arrive overloaded with people by the greedy traffickers.

Winter conditions are particularly dangerous, when freezing temperatures can kill people in minutes if thrown into the sea.

Detectives have since launched an investigation into the canal boat tragedy, after four migrants died and 39 survivors, including 12 children, had to be rescued when a dinghy sank.

The operation involves officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, supported by the National Crime Agency.

A Kent Police spokesman said: “The circumstances surrounding the deaths of four people in the English Channel are being investigated by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, with the support of the National Crime Agency.”

It continued: “A multi-agency search and rescue operation was carried out, during which 39 people were safely brought ashore. Four other people were pronounced dead.

A Kent Police spokesman said the circumstances of the deaths were being investigated by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, backed by the National Crime Agency

The first images from the scene, exclusively made available to Sky News, show a number of migrants being rescued from a rubber dinghy

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said 401 migrants were spotted in eight boats on Wednesday, not including the dead. The number of people rescued in the English Channel after crossing from France now rises to 45,112 – compared to 28,526 in 2021

“Officials are working to determine the identity of the deceased and to locate the next of kin.”

British and French search teams raced into the area between Lydd in Kent and Cap Gris Nez south of Calais in France in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Some 43 asylum seekers were taken out of the freezing waters after their ship ran into trouble around 2am.

It goes without saying that with sea temperatures as low as 9 degrees Celsius, people would have had just five minutes in the water before their limbs began to cramp from the cold.

Four died and the same number were reported missing. The search for remaining survivors was called off around 5 p.m. Thursday.

Those who arrived on Saturday were all given orange hooded ponchos to keep them warm and dry

About 12 people walk up Dungeness beach after being rescued by the RNLI

On Friday, the Director-General of the National Crime Agency, Graeme Biggar, said: “First and foremost, this incident is a tragedy and our thoughts must be with the families and loved ones of those who died.

“Given the conditions, I am also grateful the death toll was not higher and I pay tribute to everyone who responded so quickly in the English Channel on Wednesday morning. You undoubtedly saved lives.

“A full investigation into the circumstances of these deaths is now underway, being led by Kent Police.

“I have offered them the full support and resources of the NCA, including our network of liaison officers in France who are already working with French partners.

“This incident tragically illustrates the dangers of these crossings, a high percentage of which are facilitated by organized criminal networks.

“They treat people as a commodity to be profited from and don’t think about putting them in incredibly dangerous situations.

“Working with our partners on both sides of the Channel, we are committed to finding those responsible and bringing them to justice.”

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough said at a council meeting that a youth was one of the fatalities, while 12 of the 39 survivors were children who were traveling alone.

The tragedy, he said, was a “sobering reminder of the human cost of an ongoing crisis.”

Men don gloves as they arrive in Britain on Saturday in freezing temperatures

Police officers escort the group, which also includes two boys, from the sea

Footage from the rescue operation showed fear and terror on the faces of some of the young men and boys who risked their lives to make it to Britain.

A spokesman for a French charity said it was a voice message in the early hours of the morning from migrants in a water-logged boat begging for help that first set off the alarm and that babies could be heard crying in the background.

Nikolai Posner, communications officer for Utopia 56, which helps migrants in Calais, said a 22-second WhatsApp voice note was left around 2am UK time.

In the message, a man can be heard saying “help us, help us” and that there was water in the boat with “families and children” on board, Mr Posner said.

The 12 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) have now been placed in the care of Kent County Council.

During the search, drones were used to scan the waters for missing persons and ships were asked to post lookouts.

Meanwhile, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) was reviewing evidence of the incident to decide whether to open an investigation.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said 401 migrants were spotted in eight boats on Wednesday, not including the dead.

The number of people rescued in the English Channel after crossing from France now rises to 45,112 – compared to 28,526 in 2021.

Despite disastrous conditions, 1,212 in 38 boats have made it so far in December alone.