Paris court convicts six men of manslaughter over 2021 Channel dinghy disaster

A Paris court on Wednesday 30 September 2026 found six men guilty of manslaughter over the drowning of migrants in the Channel in November 2021. 1 2 The six received prison terms of between six and 10 years. 3 4 Seven other men were convicted of lesser smuggling charges, with sentences from six months suspended to four years, and one man was found not guilty. 1

The BBC, The National and Al Jazeera report that 31 people died, while GB News reports 27 deaths; Reuters says more than 30 died, with 27 bodies recovered and at least four never found. 3 2 1 The victims were mainly Iraqi Kurds, and only two men survived. 3 1 The BBC says the trial found the convicted men belonged to two networks, one Iraqi Kurd and one Afghan, that worked together to organise the crossing. 3

The heaviest sentence, 10 years, went to Afghan national Obaidullah Maroofkhel, tried in his absence, and an arrest warrant was issued against him. 5 Harem Ahmad Abwbaker received eight years; the court found he was close to the Iraqi network's head, known as "Bashdar", who was not a defendant and is detained in Iraqi Kurdistan. 5 3 The court said the disaster was "brought about by individuals driven by the lure of profit and a disregard for human life"; a lawyer for victims' relatives said the ruling confirmed the traffickers' responsibility. 5 3

A separate investigation is examining seven French military personnel accused of failing to help the migrants; Al Jazeera says they deny wrongdoing. 3 4 The verdict came as France and the UK ended their one-in, one-out returns scheme. 3 4