A man has been arrested in Kent following the death of a woman who attempted to cross the Channel in a small boat.

French authorities were alerted to a boat in distress in the early hours of Sunday. Emergency services attended the scene and airlifted a woman to the hospital, but she later died. It is understood that the vessel, which was carrying around 40 people, continued its journey to Dover.

On Monday night, officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested a 29-year-old Egyptian national in Manston, Kent, in connection with the crossing. The man was questioned on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and has been bailed pending further inquiries.

The NCA is collaborating with French authorities to determine the circumstances leading to the fatality.

NCA branch commander Mark Howes commented on the incident: “This tragedy demonstrates how dangerous these crossings are, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the individual who died. Working with partners, we remain determined to do all we can to target, disrupt, and dismantle the criminal networks involved in organised immigration crime, and prevent them from exploiting the desperation of others.”