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Alleged small boat pilot charged over deaths of four migrants in Channel

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Migrants in a packed dinghy in the Channel (file)
Migrants in a packed dinghy in the Channel (file). Picture: Alamy

By Alice Padgett

The alleged pilot of a small boat has been charged over the deaths of four migrants who drowned trying to cross the Channel.

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Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali has been charged with endangering life after two men and two women died trying to board a small boat crossing the English Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency said.

The 27-year-old is alleged to have piloted the boat from France to the UK.

Two men and two women died as they attempted to climb on to a so-called “taxi boat” at Equihen-Plage, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, on Thursday morning.

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Migrants prepare to board a dinghy before attempting to sail into the Channel (file)
Migrants prepare to board a dinghy before attempting to sail into the Channel (file). Picture: Getty

Thirty-eight people were returned to the French shore after the incident south of Boulogne-sur-Mer near Calais, but 74 migrants travelled on to the UK.

He will appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.