As the defendants face trial, survivors' testimony and a parallel probe into French naval response raise urgent questions about how the waters are policed. Fourteen people are to go on trial in France on Tuesday over the loss of 31 people including a seven-year-old child in 2021, in the deadliest small-boat crossing accident recorded in the Channel. Key points and original sources are listed below.

• As the defendants face trial, survivors' testimony and a parallel probe into French naval response raise urgent questions about how the waters are policed.S1

• Fourteen people are to go on trial in France on Tuesday over the loss of 31 people including a seven-year-old child in 2021, in the deadliest small-boat crossing accident recorded in the Channel.S2S3