Last Thursday (May 25), French magistrates filed preliminary charges against five members of staff of France's maritime surveillance and rescue center. The indictment is part of a probe of the November 2021 sinking of a dinghy in the English Channel. Twenty-seven people died in the shipwreck.

According to news agency AP citing judicial authorities, the five maritime rescue personnel are all members of the military and are accused of not assisting people in danger. Four other people are reportedly being probed over the deaths.

Preliminary charges give magistrates additional time to investigate, AP reported. Previously, magistrates filed preliminary charges against ten other people suspected of manslaughter and assisting the illegal entry of migrants.

The five military personnel, who were reportedly released on Thursday after questioning, serve at a French maritime surveillance and rescue center for the English Channel. The missions of the center include coordinating search and rescue (SAR) operations.

Utopia 56, an organization representing the migrants, welcomed news of the indictment. "We are naturally pleased that the enquiry is advancing," an Utopia 56 spokesperson told Radio France Internationale (RFI). "But beyond the responsibility of individuals to respond to their hierarchy, we want to shed light on the responsibility of both the French and British authorities in this tragedy." 

Read more: 'Overwhelmed': UK coastguard attention to migrant calls in Channel under investigation

Deadliest Channel crossing incident

On November 24, at least 27 people died as they attempted to cross the English Channel, most of them Iraqi Kurds but also an Iranian Kurd, Afghans, Ethiopians, a Somali and an Egyptian. Among the victims were a 16-year-old and a seven-year-old child.

The sinking was the deadliest accident involving migrants in the Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Strong currents, moreover, make the seemingly short voyage a dangerous undertaking.

The tragedy highlighted the role of smuggling networks that take advantage of migrants seeking to travel from France to Britain clandestinely. It also caused tensions between the two countries over how to address the smuggling of migrants specifically and irregular migration in general.

Recent investigations revealed how French and British authorities failed to rescue 27 drowning migrants. In June last year, French police arrested 15 mainly Afghan suspects accused of running a smuggling ring connected to the deadly incident.

Last week, Britain's 'illegal migration bill' began the amendments procedure in the upper house of parliament. Also last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to reduce the number of people legally migrating to the UK, calling current levels "too much".

Read more: UK arrests suspect in connection with 27 Channel deaths

with AP, RFI