A 27-year-old Sudanese man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life after four people died trying to board a small boat to cross the Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said. Two men and two women, whose identities have not been released, died while trying to board a water taxi off the coast of Saint Etienne au Mont, near Calais. The suspect was arrested at Manston processing centre in Kent - which processes people that arrive by small boats - and remains in police custody. A total of 5,062 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France between 1 January and 8 April 2026. This figure is 30% lower than the number who had reached the UK by this point in 2025, which was 7,228.

Source: The Star April 11, 2026 13:14 UTC