UK police arrest Egyptian man following migrant boat death

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on Tuesday said its officers had arrested a man in connection with a small boat Channel crossing that led to the death Sunday of a woman in France.

The NCA said it had detained a 29-year-old Egyptian national in Manston, southern England, on Monday and questioned him on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.

He was then bailed pending further enquiries.

The woman died trying to cross the Channel from France to Britain on an overcrowded boat.

French authorities were alerted that the vessel was in trouble in the early hours of Sunday and the woman was recovered and airlifted to hospital but later died.

The boat continued on its journey to the UK, and arrived into Dover carrying around 40 people.

“This tragedy demonstrates how dangerous these crossings are,” said NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes.

“Working with partners we remain determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved in organised immigration crime,” he added.

It was the seventh migrant death in the Channel since July 12 and the French maritime prefecture said there was a “new phenomenon” of would-be migrants dying from the crushed conditions in boats rather than from drowning.