00:0014 accused people smugglers will stand trial in France on Tuesday in connection with the
00:06deadliest recorded small boat accident in the English Channel. 27 people, most of them Iraqi
00:13Kurds, died when their inflatable dinghy sank in November 2021. Four other passengers are still
00:21unaccounted for. Only two people were rescued. Most of the defendants were born in Afghanistan.
00:28They face charges including manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration as part of an
00:35organised criminal group. French and British authorities are also under investigation
00:40for failing to help a person in danger. A UK inquiry earlier this year found that some of
00:47the deaths would have been avoidable if the authorities had acted sooner to rescue those
00:52on board. Thousands of migrants every year attempt the dangerous channel crossing, often
00:59in small inflatable dinghies.
