Flowers have been laid in memory of the Iranian-Kurdish family who died in the Channel on Tuesday.

Ben Bano of Seeking Sanctuary, laid the floral tributes at a plaque dedicated to asylum seekers who have died in their plight to find sanctuary.

It comes after a boy and a girl, reportedly aged six and nine, perished in the sea off Dunkirk after a flimsy boat they were travelling in capsized.

Named as Armin and Anita, they were travelling with their parents Rasoul Iran-Nejad, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, both 35.

Their baby, 15-month old Artin is still missing and today rescuers have stopped searching waters.

Mr Bano, a former mayor of Deal and councillor for Deal Town Council, said: "We are horrified by this latest tragedy and continue to urge that innovative solutions are found for the welfare of the world's exiles and for their safe access to places where they may request asylum so that they don't have to place their lives in the hands of unscrupulous traffickers.

"We need solutions that do not involve more security measures such as patrols, walls and fences, but which see each of them as a human being in need of advice and help and with a genuine contribution to make to society."

Both Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) and Care4Calais have called for this latest tragedy to be a wake-up call for the government to stop migrants making the dangerous journey in small boats.

Phil Kerton, co-director of Seeking Sanctuary said: "Desperate people have lost their lives in another tragic and distressing accident, this time off the French coast near Dunkirk.

"Conditions at sea were such that the crossing in a small boat was extremely hazardous from the start.

"Our thoughts at Seeking Sanctuary are with their families who are yet to learn of their loss and with with those of their companions who were lucky enough to be rescued, but who must now live with the memories of this tragedy.

"Like everyone else, each of the dead had hopes for leading a future life in peace and dignity, all seeking to realise their innate potential.

"We continue to urge that innovative solutions are found for the welfare of the world's exiles.

"Especially means for their safe access to places where they may request asylum without falling into the hands of unscrupulous traffickers who do not hesitate to put lives at risk.

"We want to see fresh solutions that do not involve more security measures such as patrols, walls and fences, but which instead see each individual as a fellow human being in need of advice and help and with a genuine contribution to make to our community."

It has been reported the family were from a village near the Iranian Kurdish city of Sardasht, West Azerbaijan province, northwest of Iran.

They passed the Iranian border into Turkey earlier last summer, then proceeded to Greece, Italy, and France.

The family are believed to have attempted to move from France to the UK on a train twice but both attempts failed.

On Tuesday they had set off for the UK in a boat carrying as many as 28 people - 10 more than it was designed to carry.

Search and rescue boats and military resources desperately scoured the sea off the French coast for hours on Tuesday looking for any survivors.

The rescued people were taken to hospitals in Dunkirk and Calais, suffering from hypothermia.

The memorial place, on the seafront close to the entry to the Port of Dover, was established in memory of the 58 Chinese people who were found dead in the back of an airtight 18m long, Dutch-registered lorry in June 2000.

Since then more than 150 people have died while seeking sanctuary and they have been remembered at the spot.

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