More lives could have been saved in Channel, inquiry told

Many of the people who drowned in the biggest ever loss of life in a migrant dinghy in the Channel could have been saved if rescue services had searched for them for longer, lawyers for their families have said.

- Diane Taylor

Their comments came after the independent Cranston inquiry, which is scrutinising the circumstances surrounding the mass drowning, heard evidence from an expert into survivability in the water.

The boat was thought to have been carrying 33 people, including 13 women and eight children, when it capsized on 24 November 2021. Along with the 27 confirmed dead, four people remain missing, while two survived.

Prof Michael Tipton told the inquiry yesterday that up to 15 of those onboard may have been alive more than four hours after the dinghy capsized.