In a somber conclusion to a devastating incident, a coroner has ruled that three men who drowned attempting to cross the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy in December 2022 were unlawfully killed. The ruling comes on the heels of the conviction of Ibrahima Bah for gross negligence manslaughter for his role piloting the overcrowded vessel, which a police inspector said “literally fell apart at the seams” in the frigid waters.
The victims, Mohamed Lamine Toure, 27, and Moussa Kouyae, 18, both students from Guinea, as well as a third unidentified man, perished when their flimsy craft, overfilled with 43 passengers, disintegrated during the hazardous nighttime crossing. A fourth victim named in the criminal case against Bah, Hejratullah Ahmadi, 31, was not included in the inquest.
Investigators painted a chilling scene of the disaster, detailing how the unsuitable dinghy, lacking sufficient life jackets, crumbled in the freezing conditions. The harrowing rescue attempt managed to save 39 lives, with a UK fishing crew first on the scene, joined by lifeboats, air ambulances and Border Force. However, one body from the fragmented vessel remains lost to the depths.
Smuggler Convicted, but Dangers Persist
During Bah’s trial, the prosecution asserted that, as the only passenger who hadn’t paid smugglers for the voyage, the responsibility of piloting the precarious craft fell to him. Despite his claims of being threatened by traffickers, the court found he owed his fellow passengers a duty of care in that role, and his failure to ensure their safety was a dereliction of that duty. Bah’s subsequent appeal of his 9.5-year sentence was rejected.
As Bah serves out his sentence, his sister expressed the toll his imprisonment has taken, but the hardship pales compared to the anguish of the families of those lost to the depths. The coroner emphasized the senselessness and preventability of the disaster, stressing such a tragedy should never have transpired.
Migrant Crossings Continue to Climb
The incident underscores the desperate risks migrants are compelled to take in their bids to reach British shores, even as the UK pursues aggressive policies to deter Channel crossings. Despite vows to crack down on smugglers and intercept migrant vessels, data shows arrivals by small boat actually increased by 25% in 2024 compared to the prior year.
Other recent tragedies, including a child reportedly crushed to death on an overcrowded boat and another incident that claimed eight lives in September 2024, further highlight the urgency of the crisis. Experts warn hasher measures may only force asylum seekers to embrace ever more perilous methods to make the journey.
Copying Italy’s hardline migration policies won’t stop Channel deaths, it will make the crossing deadlier as people take riskier routes.
– European migrant aid organization official
Until safe, legal pathways are established for those fleeing strife, as humanitarian groups assert is essential, the grim specter of more needless migrant deaths in the Channel seems inescapable. But advocates say the latest inquest conclusions must serve as an unignorable call to action on all sides of the Channel to find solutions and avert further tragedies like the one that claimed Mohamed, Moussa and Hejratullah as they sought better lives.
