Investigation launched into UK emergency response to migrant boat tragedy that claimed four lives

Fishing vessel came across drowning people by chance after passengers on sinking dinghy begged authorities for help

Police forensic officers at the RNLI station at the Port of Dover following the disaster on 14 November last year (PA Wire)

Britain’s emergency response to a migrant boat disaster that claimed at least four lives is under investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).

The death toll in December’s sinking has still not been confirmed because the agency has not yet established the number of passengers in the dinghy when it left France.

A spokesperson said: “The MAIB has launched an investigation into the sinking of a migrant boat in UK waters while it was attempting to cross the English Channel on 14 December 2022, resulting in four confirmed fatalities.