Dinghy carrying 157 people capsizes in Channel after engine catches fire
✓A dinghy carrying 157 people has capsized after its engine caught fire as it attempted to cross the Channel from France.
The people onboard were rescued from the water after a major air and sea operation was launched using UK border security and French vessels along with an RNLI boat.
According to French authorities there were initially 162 people onboard but five were rescued overnight in an earlier incident and taken back to Boulogne. The rest of the passengers said they wanted to continue their journey.
The dingy was carrying the second highest number of people so far this year. A boat that arrived on 23 Julywas carrying 165 passengers.
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.
On Monday, Reform UK proposed using the Royal Navy to return people to France or Belgium under a plan they called “operation fortress”. The party has described the scheme as a humanitarian response.
Responding to Tuesday’s incident, Nigel Farage wrote on X: “We must put a stop to this. Our plan will save lives.”
The party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, said: “Just like Reform policy: rescue and return. It’s the humanitarian thing to do. We must stop people dying.”
Last week, four people died on overcrowded boats trying to cross the Channel.
Smugglers are using increasingly dangerous techniques in response to successive UK government clampdowns to stop crossings.
They are also launching boats from parts of the French coast that are farther away from the UK in the hope of evading French police interceptions. The boat on Tuesday reportedly left from Dieppe, about 70 miles (112km) from the UK compared with the Calais to Dover route of 27 miles.
The new prime minister, Andy Burnham, has promised to continue working to stop the crossings, although more than 2,000 people have crossed the Channel since he became prime minister. The government has put a number of deterrents in place to stop crossings, but desperate people continue to get into increasingly dangerous dinghies.
According to a statement issued by French authorities on Tuesday, the people in the boat initially refused an offer of assistance. “Given the structural fragility of the overcrowded boats, the decision was made not to force the migrants to board state rescue vessels, to avoid endangering their lives in the event of a shipwreck,” the statement read.
All 157 people are thought to have been returned to Boulogne.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A dinghy carrying 157 people capsized in the Channel after an engine fire during a crossing from France. UK border security, French vessels, and an RNLI lifeboat conducted a rescue operation, and all passengers were subsequently returned to Boulogne. French authorities initially offered assistance, but the passengers refused, citing concerns about the structural integrity of rescue transfers. The boat departed from Dieppe, approximately 70 miles from the UK, rather than the shorter Calais-Dover route of 27 miles. This represents the second-highest single crossing this year; a July crossing carried 165 people. Enforcement pressures have prompted smugglers to use more distant launch points and increasingly fragile vessels.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A dinghy carrying 157 people has capsized after its engine caught fire as it attempted to cross the Channel from France.
The people onboard were rescued from the water after a major air and sea operation was launched using UK border security and French vessels along with an RNLI boat.
According to French authorities there were initially 162 people onboard but five were rescued overnight in an earlier incident and taken back to Boulogne. The rest of the passengers said they wanted to continue their journey.
The dingy was carrying the second highest number of people so far this year. A boat that arrived on 23 Julywas carrying 165 passengers.
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.
On Monday, Reform UK proposed using the Royal Navy to return people to France or Belgium under a plan they called “operation fortress”. The party has described the scheme as a humanitarian response.
Responding to Tuesday’s incident, Nigel Farage wrote on X: “We must put a stop to this. Our plan will save lives.”
The party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, said: “Just like Reform policy: rescue and return. It’s the humanitarian thing to do. We must stop people dying.”
Last week, four people died on overcrowded boats trying to cross the Channel.
Smugglers are using increasingly dangerous techniques in response to successive UK government clampdowns to stop crossings.
They are also launching boats from parts of the French coast that are farther away from the UK in the hope of evading French police interceptions. The boat on Tuesday reportedly left from Dieppe, about 70 miles (112km) from the UK compared with the Calais to Dover route of 27 miles.
The new prime minister, Andy Burnham, has promised to continue working to stop the crossings, although more than 2,000 people have crossed the Channel since he became prime minister. The government has put a number of deterrents in place to stop crossings, but desperate people continue to get into increasingly dangerous dinghies.
According to a statement issued by French authorities on Tuesday, the people in the boat initially refused an offer of assistance. “Given the structural fragility of the overcrowded boats, the decision was made not to force the migrants to board state rescue vessels, to avoid endangering their lives in the event of a shipwreck,” the statement read.
All 157 people are thought to have been returned to Boulogne.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A dinghy carrying 157 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire All 157 people were rescued in a coordinated UK and French operation and returned to Boulogne The boat launched from Dieppe, approximately 70 miles from the UK, compared with the typical 27-mile Calais-Dover route This was the second-highest number of people on a single crossing recorded this year Smugglers are using increasingly dangerous techniques and more distant launch points in response to government clampdowns Reform UK's 'operation fortress' plan represents a humanitarian response The decision not to force migrants onto rescue vessels was made to avoid endangering lives in case of shipwreck
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
- A dinghy with 157 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire during a crossing from France
- All passengers were rescued by UK and French vessels in a coordinated air and sea operation
- The boat launched from Dieppe, approximately 70 miles from the UK, farther than typical crossing routes
- This was the second-largest single crossing attempt recorded this year
- Smugglers are using more distant launch points and dangerous vessels in response to enforcement efforts