French police have charged* five soldiers over the deaths of 27 people who drowned while trying to cross the English Channel on 24 November 2021, reports the BBC.
They are among nine people detained for questioning. They are accused of failing to help the stricken boat, a judicial source said.
Some 15 calls from the boat were ignored, French media reported.
The disaster is the worst of its kind on record. The migrants were mostly Iraqi Kurds, and aged seven to 46.
News of the indictment was welcomed by a spokesperson for Utopia 56, an organisation representing the migrants.
"We can only be delighted that things are progressing from a criminal point of view," said Flore Judet.
Read more of this report from the BBC.
* Editor's note: Under a change to the French legal system introduced in 1993, a magistrate can decide a suspect should be 'placed under investigation' (mis en examen), which is a status one step short of being charged (inculpé), if there is 'serious or concordant' evidence that they committed a crime. Some English-language media describe this status, peculiar to French criminal law, as that of being charged. In fact, it is only at the end of an investigation that a decision can be made to bring charges, in which case the accused is automatically sent for trial.