Bodies of migrants who drowned en route to UK repatriated

Relatives of 16 Iraqi Kurdish migrants who drowned in a doomed effort last month to cross the English Channel gathered in Erbil as the plane carrying the victims' remains landed early on Sunday. Some of the relatives were seen carrying pictures of their late loved ones.

Ambulances then carried the coffins to the hometowns of the deceased in Darbandikhan, Ranya, Soran and Qadrawa.

The migrants were attempting to cross from France to the UK on a dinghy that deflated.

"The last time I heard my son's voice was when he got on board the boat. He said, 'Don't worry Mum, I will reach England shortly.' Now he's back to me in a coffin," Shukriya Bakir, whose son was among the deceased, told the Reuters news agency.

What do we know about the Channel crossing tragedy?

In total, 27 migrants died in the incident on November 24. The victims included seven women and two children aged 16 and seven.

Of the 27 who died, 26 have been identified. In addition to the 16 ethnic Kurds from Iraq, the victims included an Iranian Kurd, four Afghan men, three Ethiopians, a Somali and an Egyptian.

One Iraqi Kurd and one Sudanese man were rescued, the French Interior Ministry said at the time. The Iraqi survivor said 33 people were aboard at the time of the catastrophe.

French investigators are still probing the incident amid reports the victims had tried phoning both French and British emergency services.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, French President Emmanuel Macron accused UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being "not serious" about stopping migrant crossings in the English Channel. Johnson's initial reaction was to deflect blame onto the French.

Instability drives search for better life elsewhere

Over the last decade, hundreds of thousands of people from impoverished or war-torn countries like Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Sudan have attempted to enter the EU and the UK in search of a better life.

Very few have been welcomed and granted asylum, providing them with papers to help them start a new life.

While Iraq is no longer at war, the lack of economic opportunities and basic services has led many to risk a journey to the West in hopes of finding a better life abroad.

ar/dj (AFP, Reuters)