Two Afghans Jailed for Fatal Channel Migrant Boat Crossing

Two Afghan men, Shah Salim Sajjadi and Safiollah Mohammadi, have been sentenced to eight months in prison for piloting an overcrowded boat carrying more than 70 migrants across the English Channel, during which a woman and a child died. The fatalities occurred after the boat departed from a beach near Calais and the woman and child were pulled off by a French coastal patrol vessel but declared dead. Despite the dangerous conditions and deaths, the pilots continued the journey to UK waters where they were arrested and charged with facilitating illegal immigration. The National Crime Agency highlighted the callous nature of those organizing such crossings and emphasized the risks involved. French authorities are investigating the circumstances of the deaths under the direction of the Dunkirk prosecutor's office. This incident occurred amid a record increase in Channel crossings this year, with over 14,000 migrants crossing and a sharp rise in favorable crossing conditions.