More than 150 migrants have been rescued after the boat they were using to cross the English Channel caught fire, prompting a large-scale rescue operation involving French and British emergency teams.
French maritime authorities said the vessel left the French coast on Monday night and was attempting to reach the UK when its engine caught fire early Tuesday. Officials said 157 people were rescued and there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
According to the French maritime prefecture for the Channel and North Sea, rescue crews had earlier offered assistance after five people on board needed help overnight. However, most of the migrants refused to leave the overcrowded boat, determined to continue their journey to Britain.
“Determined to reach the United Kingdom, migrants crossing the Channel in small boats refused assistance offered by French emergency services, accepting it only in situations of extreme emergency,” the prefecture said in a statement.
Authorities said they initially avoided boarding the vessel because of its “structural fragility”, fearing that any intervention could cause it to capsize. But when the engine caught fire on Tuesday morning, and the boat began to deteriorate rapidly, emergency teams launched a full rescue operation.
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French rescue boats saved 103 people, while UK Border Force vessels and the RNLI Eastbourne lifeboat rescued another 54. All those rescued were taken to the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer for medical checks.
The incident came a day after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowed his government would be “relentless” in tackling illegal Channel crossings. During a visit to Dover, he said more officers had been deployed on both sides of the Channel to disrupt people-smuggling gangs, while stressing the need to expand safe and legal migration routes.
The Channel remains one of Europe’s busiest and most dangerous migration routes, with thousands attempting the crossing each year in overcrowded inflatable boats despite the risks. British officials say crossings this year are down compared with the same period last year, but the route continues to pose a major humanitarian and political challenge.
