Flooding and partial sinking of an inflatable migrant boat with at least 27 lives lost
Location: the Dover Strait.
Accident Investigation Report 7/2023
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, subsequent actions taken and recommendations:
Summary
During the early hours of the morning on 24 November 2021, an inflatable boat with around 33 people on board became flooded and partially sank in the Dover Strait as the occupants were attempting to cross from France to the UK. As a result of the flooding the boat鈥檚 occupants entered the water and at least 27 people lost their lives. 皇冠体育appre were 2 survivors and 4 people remain missing. 皇冠体育app victims鈥� bodies and the 2 survivors were recovered later that day in French waters. 皇冠体育app time and location of the partial sinking and the exact number of people on board are unknown. 皇冠体育app MAIB investigation was not granted access to any information held by French authorities and has necessarily focused on the UK鈥檚 emergency response.
Safety issues
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the inflatable boat was wholly unsuitable and ill-equipped for the crossing attempt and the occupants鈥� only method of raising the alarm was via mobile phone
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the effectiveness of the UK鈥檚 search and rescue response was hampered due to poor visibility and the lack of dedicated aerial surveillance of the Dover Strait
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with multiple boats attempting to cross the Dover Strait, and each boat making multiple calls indicating distress, it was extremely challenging for HM Coastguard to locate and identify discrete boats and to understand exactly how many were attempting the crossing
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at the time of the accident, a number of HM Coastguard capacity enhancements had been identified but were not yet in place to support the UK鈥檚 emergency response
Statement from the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents
Recommendations
皇冠体育app Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been recommended (2023/110) to work with French authorities to develop agreed modalities for improving the transfer of information between the UK and French coastguard agencies pertaining to migrant boats during crossing events.
皇冠体育app Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Force have been recommended (2023/111) to develop procedures to ensure effective surveillance is possible when aviation assets are unavailable.
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