UK police detain Egyptian man in connection with migrant boat fatalities

• UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested a 29-year-old Egyptian national in Manston, England, on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.
• The arrest follows a small boat crossing from France to Britain, resulting in the death of a woman in France.
• The woman was airlifted to the hospital, where she later died.

On Tuesday, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) announced that its officers had arrested a man related to a small boat Channel crossing that resulted in the death of a woman in France on Sunday. The NCA detained a 29-year-old Egyptian national in Manston, southern England, on Monday and questioned him on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.

He was released on bail pending further inquiries. The woman died while attempting to cross the Channel from France to Britain on an overcrowded boat. French authorities were alerted to the vessel’s distress in the early hours of Sunday, and the woman was recovered and airlifted to the hospital, where she later died.

The boat continued its journey to the UK and arrived in Dover with around 40 people on board.

“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 organized immigration crime,” he added.

It marked the seventh migrant death in the Channel since July 12. The French maritime prefecture reported a “new phenomenon” where would-be migrants are dying from the cramped conditions in boats rather than from drowning.

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