Suspected smugglers on trial over deadly 2023 Channel shipwreck

Nine men went on trial in Paris on November 4, 2025 over a 2023 Channel shipwreck that killed seven Afghan migrants. The defendants — two Iraqis, six Afghans, and one Sudanese man accused of piloting the boat — face charges of involuntary manslaughter in a case exposing the workings of international smuggling networks. Eight of the accused, aged 23 to 45, appeared in court as the judge read out the names of the 65 people who were on board the doomed boat bound for the UK. Here’s FRANCE 24’s Philip Turle’s analysis.