French and British vessels rescued 157 migrants after their boat caught fire while attempting to cross the English Channel on Tuesday, authorities from both countries reported. This marks one of the largest rescue operations recorded since statistics began in 2018.
A small boat ignited on the border of French and British waters, prompting passengers to jump into the water on Tuesday morning, the prefecture of the French region of Pas-de-Calais reported, adding that there were no fatalities. According to French maritime authorities, the migrants set off from the coastal village of Wimereux in Normandy on Monday.
Details of the rescue operation
A representative of the British Coast Guard stated that vessels from the United Kingdom and a rescue boat joined the operation after the vessel caught fire in the French search and rescue zone. The charity organization Royal National Lifeboat Institution reported that its rescue boat departed for the scene around 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
Statistics on Channel crossings
Last year, more than 41,000 migrants landed on the southern coast of England — the second highest annual figure since 2018. Since the start of this year, 14 people have died attempting to cross the English Channel, according to AFP calculations based on official French and British data. Additionally, AFP reported that at least 29 migrants died in the English Channel last year.
Source: South China Morning Post
