Four people who lost their lives in English Channel died from drowning, inquest hears

The provisional cause of death of four people who died when a boat capsized in the Channel in December is drowning, an inquest heard.

The four were pronounced dead following a major rescue operation off the Kent coast in the early hours of December 14 after reports of a boat in distress.

Another 39 people were safely brought to shore during the rescue, which involved the Royal Navy, French navy, Coastguard, RNLI lifeboats, ambulance service and police.

Kent area coroner Katrina Hepburn, opening the inquest at County Hall in Maidstone on Friday morning, said the victims are still unidentified.

It is "possible" two of them were Afghanis, while the others were Senegalese, a report by Detective Inspector Ross Gurden of Kent Police said.

It went on: "The provisional cause of death is consistent with drowning."

Ms Hepburn suspended proceedings until a later date amid an ongoing police investigation.

Ibrahima Bah, 19, of no fixed address, was arrested in connection with the incident last Friday.

Kent Police announced on Sunday that Bah had been charged with knowingly facilitating the attempted arrival in the UK of people he knew or had reasonable cause to believe were asylum seekers.

He appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court in Kent on Monday and pleaded not guilty to facilitating attempted illegal entry to the UK.