The tragedy on November 24, 2021 sparked tensions between London and Paris over who should do more to prevent such disasters, and the UK inquiry is aimed at considering "what lessons can be learned" and to make any relevant recommendations.

"How did it come about that the passengers were left in the water for more than 12 hours without rescue after distress calls?" said the advisor to the inquiry, senior lawyer Rory Phillips.

"How can we ensure that this human tragedy is never repeated?" he added at the opening hearing.

The victims were mainly Iraqi Kurds and included seven women, a 16-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl. Four people remain missing.

One of the two survivors, of the 2021 incident, Issa Mohamed Omar, is due to testify on Tuesday before the inquiry, which was officially launched in January 2024.

Britain and France have for years sought to stop the flow of migrants making the perilous crossing.

Migrants pay smugglers thousands of euros per head for the passage to England from France aboard small boats.

More than 36,800 people crossed the Channel between England and France in 2024, up 25 percent on the previous year.

According to the French authorities, 78 migrants died in 2024 while trying to reach England from the coast of northern France, a record since the start of the "small boat" phenomenon in the Channel in 2018.

At least five migrants have died since the beginning of the year.

"More than three years after the tragedy (of November 2021), relatives and families are still waiting for the truth, said Utopia 56, a French association that supports migrants, on X.

The inquiry will take evidence from members of the British coastguard and rescue services.

The hearings are due to run until March 27.

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