Flames broke out on a migrant boat in the English Channel near Boulogne-sur-Mer, triggering a large-scale rescue in which French coastguards pulled 173 people to safety, local authorities said.
Three coastguard ships were dispatched to the scene and recovered everyone on board, according to the local French administration responsible for the English Channel and North Sea.
Thierry Darras, an official with rescue services, said several of those rescued suffered burns, grazes or bruises, but reported no serious injuries.
On the British side, a coastguard spokesperson said UK vessels and a lifeboat were assisting after “a vessel caught fire earlier this morning” in French waters.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution charity said it launched a boat to help at 6am.
The incident came days after three people died attempting the same crossing on a small boat.
Tuesday’s rescue again underscores the escalating risks in Channel crossings, as people-smuggling networks load increasing numbers onto fragile craft.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Sunday he would be “relentless” in efforts to curb arrivals by small boat.
The Channel is among the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and its fast-moving currents have contributed to repeated fatalities among migrants trying to reach Britain from France.
Smuggling groups frequently overcrowd inflatable dinghies, leaving them barely afloat.
Three coastguard ships rescued those on board
“This incident 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,” a British government spokesperson said.
Yesterday, the Reform UK party said that if elected, it would stop asylum seekers with what it said would be the largest military operation in the Channel since World War II.
So far this year, 14,526 people have landed on British shores after such journeys, according to British authorities.
Last year, more than 41,000 migrants landed on England’s southern coast – the second-highest annual number since 2018.
The British rescue ship BSC Contender took part in the rescue operation
Britain and France last year agreed to a so-called “One in, one out” arrangement, a policy criticised by charities that work with migrants.
Under the accord, Britain has forcibly removed 1,087 people who arrived on small boats and who it says did not meet the criteria for asylum, while admitting 1,117 other migrants who had applied to enter the United Kingdom from France through a legal route.
So far this year, 14 people have died trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.
At least 29 migrants died last year, according to a similar AFP count.
