Alleged small boat pilot charged over deaths of four migrants in Channel

The alleged pilot of a small boat has been charged over the deaths of four migrants who drowned trying to cross the Channel.

Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali has been charged with endangering life after two men and two women died trying to board a small boat crossing the English Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency said.

The 27-year-old is alleged to have piloted the boat from France to the UK.

Two men and two women died as they attempted to climb on to a so-called “taxi boat” at Equihen-Plage, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, on Thursday morning.

Thirty-eight people were returned to the French shore after the incident south of Boulogne-sur-Mer near Calais, but 74 migrants travelled on to the UK.

He will appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.