A teenager will appear in court in connection with the death of four people in the English Channel.

Ibrahima Bah has been charged with four counts of manslaughter after 39 people ran into difficulty as they attempted to cross to the UK on a small boat on December 14 last year.

The 19-year-old, of no fixed abode, is due to appear before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

A Kent Police spokesman said: “In the early hours of December 14, Kent Police was called to Dover to assist HM Coastguard following a report received of a small boat in distress in the water.

“A multi-agency search and rescue operation was carried out, resulting in 39 people being safely brought to shore. Four other people were pronounced deceased.”

“The circumstances surrounding the deaths are the subject of an investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, assisted by the National Crime Agency.

“As part of the investigation, Ibrahima Bah has been charged with four counts of manslaughter and is due to appear before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.”

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The force said officers were working to establish the identity of the deceased and locate their next of kin.

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