French coastguards have mobilised six patrol boats in the Channel and a helicopter in anticipation of further attempts by migrants to cross as weather and sea conditions improve. The high alert comes as prosecutors opened an investigation for manslaughter after at least six people died as a result of a small boat capsizing and sinking in the early hours of Saturday. Rescuers are still searching for at least one other missing person presumed drowned. The six confirmed dead are all Afghan men and were among 65 or 66 male passengers on the craft, most from Afghanistan. According to French media, several of those rescued on Saturday reported that the inflatable capsized after passengers tried to refuel the motor that had stopped out at sea. Many of those onboard had no life vests. The investigation into the tragedy has been transferred from the local prosecutors’ office to the national jurisdiction for the fight against organised crime (Junalco) in Paris, which is considering charges of manslaughter, unintentional injury, aiding illegal persons and criminal conspiracy. Saturday’s death toll was the highest since November 2021 when 27 people drowned in the Channel, sparking a row between Britain and France over who was to blame and what needed to be done to prevent such tragedies. Mohammad Amin Ahmadzai, president of the Afghan association Ascia, said several of the six victims had been identified and his organisation was waiting to be given the names so that they could inform the families. A spokesperson for Premar, the maritime authority responsible for security in the Channel, said the French government had chartered two extra vessels earlier this year to ensure there were always six in the Channel, the world’s busiest waterway. “Since 2022, Premar has provided for the presence of six alert vessels in the Pas de Calais when weather conditions are good to cope with the probable increase in the number of people attempting to set sail in precarious craft when the sea is calm,” the spokesperson said. The vessels are supplied by various administrations: the French coastguard, French navy, customs and the gendarmerie. “Since spring 2023, two vessels chartered by the French government for these rescue missions have also joined the six-vessel fleet. A French navy helicopter is also part of the search and rescue system,” the spokesperson added. Hervé Berville, the secretary of state for the sea, said Saturday’s drownings were a “terrible human tragedy”. “The traffickers have no scruples. How can they place more than 60 people in an inflatable in force 3 or 4 winds?” he said. “If we deplore six victims today, it is the responsibility of traffickers who send young people, women and adults to their deaths on these dangerous and deadly sea routes. “Our work, which is constant, is to reinforce our system. And to lead the fight against the smugglers who profit and exploit human misery to make money and trade in people.” On Sunday, about 250 people gathered in Calais to light candles in tribute to those who had perished, which was followed by a minute’s silence. A memorial gathering is planned in Folkestone on Tuesday. Numerous charities on both sides of the Channel have called for the UK to establish safe and legal routes to protect lives and end the smuggling trade. The NGO Utopia 56, which works to support migrants in northern France and operates an emergency number for people to call if they get into distress in the Channel, warned that more deaths would follow unless safe routes were introduced to keep people from making the dangerous crossings.