Suspect arrested in England after 4 die in failed channel crossing from France to UK

LONDON (AP) — British authorities arrested a man from Sudan on Friday on suspicion of endangering life after four migrants died trying to board an inflatable boat to cross the English Channel.

Two men and two women died and 38 others were rescued Thursday after being swept away in strong currents at a French beach where they had been attempting to launch for the perilous crossing to Britain.

The 27-year-old suspect was one of more than 70 other migrants who continued the journey and he was arrested at a migrant processing center on England’s southeast coast under a new border and immigration law that includes charges for endangering someone’s life during a journey by sea to the U.K.

It was not clear what role the suspect is alleged to have played in the crossing.

The incident occurred at Equihen Beach in Calais as the migrants tried to wade out to what authorities call a “taxi-boat,” typically a small motorized inflatable that picks up people along large stretches of the northern French coast.

The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.

Under maritime law, French police do not try to stop the boats on the water because it put lives at risk.

The suspect remained in custody to be questioned, the NCA said. Investigators also planned to interview other channel crossers.

Recent days have seen a surge in attempted crossings and deaths with 102 people rescued in two operations on Wednesday. Two people died last week in similar circumstances off the coast north of Calais.

A police officer stands guard after a migrant taxi-boat accident, in Equihen-Plage, northern France. Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

A young boy runs on the beach after at least four people died while trying to board an inflatable boat for a dangerous sea crossing from northern France to the U.K. in Equihen-Plage, northern France. Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

A police officer stands guard after at least four people died while trying to board an inflatable boat for a dangerous sea crossing from northern France to the U.K. in Equihen-Plage, northern France. Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Policemen stand guard after a migrant taxi-boat accident, in Equihen-Plage, northern France, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Federal judges on Tuesday temporarily blocked Alabama’s plan to use a new congressional map that could give Republicans an advantage in a key U.S. House race in the midterm elections.

A three-judge panel in the state’s long-running redistricting case issued the preliminary injunction that prevents the state, at least for now, from switching maps. It requires Alabama to continue using the same court-ordered districts under which congressional representatives were elected in 2024.

Lawyers representing Black voters in the state's lengthy redistricting case had sought the preliminary injunction, arguing the same panel in 2023 found the state map was intentionally discriminatory against Black voters. They also argued Alabama was creating chaos by trying to change lines in the middle of an election year.

The ruling was a defeat for state Republicans who want to use a map for the November midterms that will give the GOP a chance to reclaim the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures. However, the state could appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court order is the latest development in the twisting legal and political saga following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

Other states also have considered adjustments to their primary elections to allow time for congressional redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for May 16, were postponed until later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry so that state lawmakers could consider a new U.S. House map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.

In South Carolina, the Republican-led legislature considered a plan that would throw out the votes from its June 9 congressional primary and instead hold a new primary in August under revised districts that could improve Republicans’ chances of winning an additional seat.

Tennessee also moved quickly to enact new U.S. House districts after the Supreme Court’s ruling by carving up a Black-majority district based in Memphis that had elected the state’s only Democratic representative. The new map gives Republicans a chance to sweep all nine of the state’s seats. As part of the plan, Tennessee temporarily reopened the candidate qualifying period for its August congressional primaries, allowing new candidates to enter the race and existing ones to either switch districts or drop out.

Since Trump first urged Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last summer, about a half-dozen Republican-led states have enacted new voting districts, though some still face legal challenges. Democrats countered with new districts in California and also expect to gain a seat from new court-imposed districts in Utah.

Travis Jackson stands outside the federal courthouse on Friday, May 22, 2026, in Birmingham, Ala. after a court hearing related to redistricting litigation. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)