Sudanese teen charged after piloting boat with 165 migrants

A 19-year-old Sudanese national has been charged with endangering another person while piloting a small boat carrying a record 165 migrants across the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom. Chan Mathok Atak, from South Sudan, was allegedly piloting the vessel on Thursday, July 23, according to the National Crime Agency. He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear at Margate Magistrates' Court on Monday, July 27.

The crossing set a new record for the number of people aboard a single vessel, surpassing the previous high of 128 set earlier in July. The boat, described as a "mega dinghy" approximately 13 meters long, was among three that arrived on Thursday, bringing a total of 366 people to the UK during calm sea conditions. The arrivals occurred during the first week of Andy Burnham's tenure as Prime Minister, with 641 people having made the crossing since he took office, according to Home Office figures.

Authorities have noted a shift in smuggling patterns, with criminal networks reportedly packing more people into fewer vessels. A Home Office spokesman stated that smuggling gangs are taking greater risks by cramming people into unseaworthy boats, a...