Survivors of the latest migrant disaster have claimed that the overcrowded boat could have been sunk on purpose in a bid to get to Britain more quickly.
The survivors have also described their terror at being pitched into the Channel – and the horror of watching women and children drown.
Twelve people lost their lives and around 50 were rescued after the 26-foot long boat overturned.
One survivor Sami Berhane, from Asmara in Eritrea, claimed the boat may have been deliberately sabotaged by one of the passengers.
He alleges this might have been done in the belief that this would see them picked up and taken to England more quickly.
The 33-year-old said: ‘There were two Ethiopian men on the boat and both of them had lifejackets, but we did not have them.
‘When we saw the English boat, we started celebrating and shouting with happiness, but one of those men seemed to pull out a knife and started cutting the plastic or the rubber of the boat.
‘It did not take long before the water started coming into the boat and everybody started panicking. The boat soon went on its side and everyone was in the water.’
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Police are already conducting a manslaughter investigation targeting the smugglers.
Officials have confirmed the boat was ‘ripped’ but it’s unclear if there have been other accounts that the boat may have been sunk deliberately.
