In the early hours of Wednesday, a migrant boat capsized in the English Channel, killing four people and rescuing 39 others.

A juvenile has been charged with people-smuggling after four individuals perished attempting to cross the English Channel.

Police detained Ibrahima Bah, 19, of no permanent address, after Wednesday’s incident.

A migrant boat capsized in the English Channel, claiming four lives and rescuing 39 others.

Kent Police charged Bah with “knowingly assisting the attempted entry into the United Kingdom of individuals he knew or had reasonable grounds to believe were asylum seekers.”

Monday, he will appear before the Folkstone Magistrates’ Court after being remanded in custody.

The Royal Navy, French navy, Coastguard, and RNLI lifeboats were all involved in the large rescue operation that began early Wednesday morning off the coast of Kent in response to reports of a distressed vessel.

The circumstances surrounding the killings are being probed by Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate detectives with assistance from the National Crime Agency.

The police are still attempting to identify the deceased and locate their next of kin.

More than 44,000 individuals have made the treacherous crossing of the English Channel this year, according to government statistics.