The 21-year-old Sudanese national was arrested on Wednesday (September 27) just after he arrived on a small boat after crossing from France.

Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) released a press release saying the man had been arrested "on suspicion of illegal entry and facilitating illegal immigration in Dover...and is now in custody." They added that his arrest was "as part of an investigation into the death of a woman who is thought to have died attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat."

His arrest follows reports of the death of a migrant woman on a beach near Calais on Tuesday (September 26). The woman was reported to have been a migrant of Eritrean origin who had been attempting to reach the UK by small boat from France.

Death on a French beach

In initial reports, French police said the woman may have suffered a cardiac arrest. The French authorities are investigating her death and are being supported by the NCA and Kent police. It is not clear whether the man arrested in the UK is being investigated in direct relation to the woman's death.

NCA Deputy Director Craig Turner said in a press release that her death "demonstrates the danger posed to those making these crossings." Turner added that "targeting the criminal networks involved is a priority for the NCA." They said they were working with their French partners to "identify those responsible for this tragic death."