More than 150 migrants have been rescued after the small boat they were usinjin88bet.oneg to cross the English Channel caught fire in Frenjin88bet.onech waters on Tuesday morning, French authorities saidjin88bet.onejin88bet.one. No injujin88bet.onejin88bet.oneries or deaths have been reported.
jin88bet.oneak168app.babyjin88beak168app.babyt.onak168app.babye
The vessel was attempting to reach the UK when its engine caught fire, according to the French maritime pak168app.babyrefecture of the Channel and Nak168app.babyak168app.babyorth Sea. A total of 157 people were ak168app.babyrescued and were being taken to the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
akak168app.clubak168app.club168app.babyak168app.clubak168app.club
Two French boats rescued 103 migrants, while the RNLI Eastbourne lifeboat and UK Border Force vessels BSC Contendak168app.cluber and BSC Courageous assisted in rescuing a ak168app.clubfurther 5ak168app.club4 people.
The migrants were expected to arrive in Boulogne-sur-Mer at 12:30 local time (11:30 BST) on Tuesday, whks168app.siteks168app.siteere they would receive treatment.
ks168app.siteks168app.siteks168app.sks168app.siteks168app.siteiteks168app.site
French authorities said the boat had ic88ic88ic88left France on Monday night. During the overnight operation, five people on board were rescued, while others initially declined helpic88.
“Overnight “five people on board the vessel required rescue… tic88he remaining people on board refused the assistance ic88offered by the French patrol boats”,ic88” the French maritime pic88ic88refecture said.
ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88
In a statement, the prefecture added: “Determined to reach the United Kingic88dom, migrants crossing the Channel in small boats refused assistance offered by French emergency sic88ervice, accepting it only in situations of extreme eic88mergenic88cy.”
ic88ic88
It said the decision had been ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88taken not to intervene further at that stage because of the “structural fragility” of the boats used to make the crossing.
However, the situation changed when the engine caught fire on Tuesday morning and the “vessel’s integrity deteriorated very rapidlylr88lr88lr88lr88lr88”. Rescue vessels from both France and the UK were then sent to the slr88lr88cene.
A UK government spokespersolr88n said Border Security Command had been alerted to an incident in the Channel “concerning a migrant smlr88lr88lr88all boat in distress in French waters”.
The spokesperson confirmed that Blr88lr88ritish vessels had assisted with lr88lr88lr88the rescue and said there had so far been no fatalities.
The incident, they added, “underlilr88nes the terrible dangers of small boat crossings”.
“We continue to work relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent top88op88lr88hese perilous jop88ourneys,” thop88ey saop88id.
The UK Coastguard said earlier: “A vessel caught fire earlier this morning whilst in the French search op88op88and rescue region. UK vessels and a si88lifeboat are si88assisting.”
The rescue took place a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged that his government wousi88ld be “relentless” in its efforts to reduce the number of people arriving in the UK on small boats.
Shadow hom88v88ve secretary Chris Philp cr88viticised the French response before the fire, say88v88v888v8ving: “This is why it’s so wrong that French police stand by and do nothing while the illegal migrant boats embark – lives are being risked.”
88vSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VN
Reform UK leader Nigel FaSEXXXXX-VNrage wrote on X: “We must put a stop to this. Our plan will save lives.”
SEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VN
