One of the questions raised is how passengers were left in the water more than 12 hours after distress calls were made to UK authorities.
An inquiry into the deadliest English Channel crossing incident on November 24, 2021, has highlighted a "terrible human tragedy" where 26 people died, four remain missing, and one body was found unidentified. The inflatable boat capsized after three hours at sea, with distress calls made by a 16-year-old passenger. Despite the UK Border Force cutter Valiant responding, it took over two hours to reach the location and mistakenly logged the incident as another boat. Passengers were left in the water for over 12 hours without rescue. The inquiry points to preventable factors, including under-staffing, lack of dedicated search-and-rescue resources, and delays in information sharing between UK and French authorities. Survivors recounted seeing people clinging to the boat and enduring unimaginable suffering.
