More than 150 migrants have been rescued after the small boat they were using to cross the English Channel caught fire in French waters on Tuesday morning, French authorities said. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
The vessel was attempting to reach the UK when its engine caught fire, according to the French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea. A total of 157 people were rescued and were being taken to the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Two French boats rescued 103 migrants, while the RNLI Eastbourne lifeboat and UK Border Force vessels BSC Contender and BSC Courageous assisted in rescuing a further 54 people.
The migrants were expected to arrive in Boulogne-sur-Mer at 12:30 local time (11:30 BST) on Tuesday, where they would receive treatment.
French authorities said the boat had left France on Monday night. During the overnight operation, five people on board were rescued, while others initially declined help.
“Overnight “five people on board the vessel required rescue… the remaining people on board refused the assistance offered by the French patrol boats”,” the French maritime prefecture said.
In a statement, the prefecture added: “Determined to reach the United Kingdom, migrants crossing the Channel in small boats refused assistance offered by French emergency service, accepting it only in situations of extreme emergency.”
It said the decision had been taken 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 rapidly”. Rescue vessels from both France and the UK were then sent to the scene.
A UK government spokesperson said Border Security Command had been alerted to an incident in the Channel “concerning a migrant small boat in distress in French waters”.
The spokesperson confirmed that British vessels had assisted with the rescue and said there had so far been no fatalities.
The incident, they added, “underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings”.
“We continue to work relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys,” they said.
The UK Coastguard said earlier: “A vessel caught fire earlier this morning whilst in the French search and rescue region. UK vessels and a lifeboat are assisting.”
The rescue took place a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged that his government would be “relentless” in its efforts to reduce the number of people arriving in the UK on small boats.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the French response before the fire, saying: “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.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wrote on X: “We must put a stop to this. Our plan will save lives.”
