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Passengers included Pirot’s friend Twana Mamand Muhammed, also from Ranya. There was a family from the Iraqi Kurdish town of Darbandikhan: Khazal Hussein, 45, and her children Hadia, 22, son Mubin, 16 and younger daughter Hasti, seven. As hypothermia and exhaustion set in, those in the water died, one by one. Currents pushed them back towards France.
Fishermen eventually spotted bodies at 2pm on Wednesday. Two male survivors – an Iraqi and a Somali – were pulled from the waters and taken to hospital in Calais. The death toll was 27 – the biggest known number of fatalities since refugees began making the perilous journey to Britain. Relatives waited for news. By Saturday grief set in. It became clear there was little hope.
Typically, Amanj said, the smugglers made deals with families at home. Sometimes they turned up at the camp in masks. The crossing costs about £3,000 per person, with cash demanded in full once their loved one had made it to Dover.