More than 150 migrants have been rescued after the boat they were using to cross the English Channel caught fire while attempting to reach the United Kingdom.
French maritime authorities said the incident occurred on Tuesday morning after the vessel’s engine caught fire, forcing a major rescue operation involving both French and British emergency services.
A total of 157 migrants were rescued and are being taken to the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Officials said there have been no reported deaths or injuries.
According to the French maritime prefecture for the Channel and North Sea, the migrants had departed the French coast on Monday night.
During the overnight journey, five people initially requested assistance, but the majority of those on board reportedly refused rescue efforts, determined to continue towards the UK.
Authorities said they chose not to intervene further at that stage because of the fragile condition of the overcrowded boat, warning that an immediate intervention could have caused it to break apart.
However, the situation worsened on Tuesday morning when the boat’s engine caught fire, causing the vessel to rapidly deteriorate and prompting an emergency rescue.
French rescue vessels saved 103 people, while British Border Force boats rescued the remaining 54 migrants. The operation also involved the RNLI Eastbourne lifeboat and UK Border Force vessels.
A UK government spokesperson confirmed that the Border Security Command was alerted to a migrant boat in distress in French waters and said British rescue teams assisted French authorities.
The spokesperson described the incident as another reminder of the dangers associated with small boat crossings across the Channel.
“We continue to work closely with France and international partners to prevent these dangerous journeys,” the spokesperson said.
The rescue comes a day after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to intensify efforts to reduce illegal small boat crossings.
Speaking during a visit to Dover, Burnham said his government would be “relentless” in tackling people-smuggling gangs while also expanding safe and legal migration routes.
Migration remains a key political issue in the UK, with opposition parties calling for tougher border enforcement following a series of recent Channel crossings.
Home Office figures indicate that while hundreds of migrants continue to arrive via small boats, crossings so far this year are approximately 43 percent lower than during the same period last year, continuing a downward trend from the record levels seen in 2022.
SOURCE: BBC