Dozens of migrants arrived today after making the treacherous journey across the Channel in small boats in the first crossings since a family of five drowned at sea.
Around 12 people including a woman and young child were on board one boat which was brought into Dover Marina at around 11am.
The youngster, pictured wearing a winter coat under a life jacket to keep warm in the cold conditions, held the hand of a Border Force officer as they walked up the gangway to be processed.
A woman and young child, thought to be migrants, are helped by Border Force officers as they are brought to shore in Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident during cold conditions in the Channel earlier this morning
They were followed by a woman wearing a pink woolly hat and carrying a water bottle.
One man on board the vessel which was picked up by Border Force vessel Speedwell and shepherded into harbour appeared to be unable to walk properly.
He was helped out of the rear of the boat by two officers and hobbled away while leaning on them for support.
A woman and young child, thought to be migrants, are helped by Border Force officers as they are brought to shore in Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident during cold conditions
A man thought to be a migrant is helped by Border Force officers as he’s brought to shore in Dover, Kent, today
A man thought to be a migrant is pushed in a wheelchair by a Border Force officer as he’s brought to shore in Dover today
A young child, thought to be a migrant, is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people are brought to shore in Dover, Kent,
Conditions were said to be good at sea after strong winds over the last week to 10 days finally dropped as well as bright sunshine and good visibility at sea.
A group of more than ten migrants also reportedly landed at Dungeness beach, Kent.
They were seen lined up by a concrete wall as they were detained by Border Force.
It is the first crossings since a Kurdish-Iranian family of five drowned when attempting the perilous journey last Tuesday.
The first group of migrants since the sinking of a migrant boat in the channel last week arrive into the port of Dover today escorted by Border Force officials
The group of 12 is thought to be the first to make the crossing since the tragic death of a family of five who drowned while trying to cross the Channel last week, October 28
A Border Force official holds the hand of a child, believed to be a migrant, who arrived by boat today in Dover
Border Force Officials escort a woman and a young child to the processing centre in Dover
Construction worker Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, wife Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, their daughter Anita, nine, and son Armin, six, all died.
Their 15 month old baby Artin was lost at sea and is presumed dead.
Two other men who were on board the boat when it capsized off Loon-Plage near Dunkirk at around 9.30am are believed to be missing.
Mr Iran-Nejad had sold everything in the hope of achieving a better future for his family, his brother, Khalil Irannazhad, said in a phone call from their home city of Sardasht in western Iran, near the Iraqi border.
Mr Iran-Nejad (left) and his wife, Shiva, (right) with two rescue workers in a French migrant camp. The children are seen from left to right: Artin, Anita and Armin
Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, with his missing son, Artin, (left) and his wife, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, (right). The family are pictured in a French migrant camp hours before attempting the perilous crossing
The bodies of Armin, six, and Anita, nine, were also recovered from the Channel near Dunkirk by French coastguard
He revealed that it was the family’s third attempt at crossing into Britain, following two abortive tries via train.
Tragic final pictures emerged showing the family in France hours before their fateful journey.
The Iran-Nejads, whose initial destination was due to have been Germany or Switzerland, are thought to have borrowed money from relatives to make it to Britain, where they are said to have family.
The family had left Iran on August 7 to travel to Turkey, before taking a ferry to Italy and driving to France almost a month ago, according to a friend who remained in Calais. Their 15-month-old toddler, Artin, (pictured) is yet to be found
Mr Irannazhad said he last spoke to his brother on Monday October 26, when he urged him not to attempt the crossing. ‘We begged him to not try to cross by boat but he insisted on going,’ he told the Telegraph.
A total of 7,565 migrants have now attempted to make the perilous crossing across the English channel in small boats this year compared to just 1,850 in 2019.
In September alone 1,954 made the crossing in small boats.