A dinghy carrying 157 migrants capsized in the English Channel after its engine caught fire. French vessels, assisted by two British Border Security Command boats and an RNLI lifeboat, rescued those on board and are taking them to Boulogne-sur-Mer, according to French authorities.
Rescue operation details
The dinghy caught fire while in the French search and rescue region on Tuesday morning, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said. A total of 54 migrants were taken to France on the British vessels. There have been no reported fatalities, the UK Government said.
In a translated statement, French authorities said the decision was initially made not to force the migrants to board rescue vessels to “avoid endangering their lives”.
Government response
A UK Government spokesperson said: “This morning, the Border Security Command was alerted to an incident in the Channel concerning a migrant small boat in distress in French waters. British vessels supported a French search and rescue operation. This is a live rescue operation but at this stage there have been no fatalities reported. Those on board will be safely returned to France. 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.”
Largest crossing attempts
The number of people on the boat, which left the beach at Veules-les-Roses, near Dieppe, on Monday night, makes it one of the biggest ever to attempt to cross the Channel. A record 165 migrants crossed in a single vessel last month in a 13m (42ft) boat dubbed a “mega dinghy” by the media.
A coastguard spokesperson said: “A vessel caught fire earlier this morning whilst in the French search and rescue region. UK vessels and a lifeboat are assisting.” An RNLI spokesperson said Eastbourne’s all-weather lifeboat launched at 6am on Tuesday.
Political reactions
The incident comes a day after Reform UK proposed using the Royal Navy to return migrants to France or Belgium under a plan called “operation fortress”. A spokesman said: “This incident proves that Reform UK’s Operation Fortress plan is workable and that British vessels are able to take Channel migrants back to France without violating maritime or international law as part of a humanitarian mission. It also confirms that these crossings on overcrowded, dangerous dinghies are a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen and must be stopped immediately.”
Justice Secretary Alex Norris, who previously served as the border security minister, told reporters: “It’s a very visible reminder both of the dangerous nature of those crossings and of the blind indifference that human traffickers have for life on those boats. I’m pleased with the work that we’re doing with France. We are seeing some positive steps forward… but we’ve got to keep doing that work to dissuade people from making those dangerous crossings, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “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.”
Crossing statistics
Last Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings in the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK. But the number of overall arrivals for 2026 has dropped since last year. The provisional total for the year is 14,561, 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 15% on the same period in 2024 (16,903).
