Paris court convicts six men of manslaughter over migrants disaster in Channel

Six Men Convicted of Manslaughter in Channel Migrants Disaster by Paris Court

Paris Court Delivers Verdict in Channel Migrant Tragedy

Overview of the Channel Disaster Case

PARIS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - A Paris court on Wednesday found six men guilty of manslaughter over the drowning of more than 30 people in the Channel five years ago, the worst disaster on record involving migrants in the narrow seaway separating France and Britain.

Additional Convictions for Smuggling

Seven other men were found guilty of lesser smuggling charges with varying degrees of seriousness, including facilitating illegal immigration as part of an ⁠organised gang and criminal conspiracy.

Details of the Tragic Incident

The Overloaded Dinghy and Rescue Efforts

The migrants perished after their overloaded dinghy deflated as they made the crossing across one of the world's busiest ​shipping lanes.

Discovery and Recovery Operations

A French fishing vessel alerted emergency services after spotting bodies floating in the waters off the French coast ​near Calais in November 2021. Twenty-seven victims were recovered, while at least four others were never found. Only ​two men survived.

Sentencing and Nationalities of Victims

Sentences for the six men found guilty of manslaughter ranged from six to 10 years in prison. For others, sentences ranged from six months suspended to four years in prison. One man was found innocent.

The victims were mainly Iraqi Kurds, but also included Afghans, Ethiopians, an Egyptian, a Somali national, an Iranian Kurd and a Vietnamese national.

Impact on Victims' Families

Testimonies of Grief and Loss

Relatives of some victims described during the trial the anguish provoked by the disaster.

Personal Story: Zana Mamand Muhammad

Zana Mamand Muhammad, whose brother Twana, 18 at the time, was never recovered after the disaster, told the court: "I live with the uncertainty of discovering some information about his disappearance, a body, a grave."

"I am living with this constant pain," he said crying and holding a picture of his brother.

Reporting Credits

(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro and Inti Landauro; editing by Richard Lough)