French magistrates probing 27 migrant deaths file charges against English Channel maritime rescuers

PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities say magistrates have filed preliminary charges against maritime rescue personnel in a probe of the sinking of a flimsy migrant craft. The boat foundered in the English Channel in November 2021, killing 27 people. Magistrates had previously filed preliminary charges against 10 people suspected of manslaughter and assisting the illegal entry of migrants. They have now also filed preliminary charges against another five people. All five are military personnel who serve at a French maritime surveillance and rescue center for the English Channel. They were handed a preliminary charge of not assisting people in danger. Preliminary charges allow magistrates further time to investigate.