French soldiers charged for failing to rescue 27 who drowned in Channel disaster: ‘You are in English waters, sir’

Five French soldiers have been charged with failing to assist 27 people who drowned trying to cross the Channel in the worst small boats disaster on record.

A judicial source said nine people in total had been placed in custody over the tragedy and five were formally charged.

The AFP news agency reported that those charged included three women and two men on duty at the Channel rescue centre at the time.

The disaster sparked a row between the UK and France as each side tried to blame the other for failing to rescue the deceased.

It took the UK and French coastguards 12 hours to respond following the first Mayday call.

Call records released to lawyers by the French authorities as part of an investigation into the disaster found that the first distress call to the French coastguard was logged shortly before 2.15am on 21 November 2021.

The boat overturned at around 3.15am.

Shortly afterward, at 3.30am, a passenger reported that some of the group, mostly Iraqui kurds, were in the water.

The French authorities replied: “Yes, but you are in English waters, Sir.”

Those on board made more than 20 distress calls between 3.40am and 7.30am at sunrise. At around 2.00pm the rescue services arrived at the scene and all but two of the group had drowned or died of exposure.

Throughout the course of the night the UK coastguard, responsible for logging emergency calls and coordinating search and rescue missions in the Channel, continued to deny that the dinghy was in British waters, repeatedly telling the passengers to call the French coastguard.

The records from France suggest that the boat entered British waters at 2.30am.

The charges were welcomed by a spokesperson for Utopia 56, an organisation representing the migrants.

"We can only be delighted that things are progressing from a criminal point of view," said Flore Judet.

According to AFP those in custody were from the French rescue service Cross Gris Nez, in charge of rescues in the Channel.

Cross Gris Nez declined to comment.

The Paris court in charge of the investigation was not immediately available for comment.