A major rescue operation has been launched in the English Channel after an overcrowded dinghy reportedly carrying around 160 migrants caught fire while attempting to reach Britain.
National reports said the emergency began at approximately 6am on Tuesday, 4 August, while the vessel was in French waters. The fire is believed to have started in or around its engine.
French search-and-rescue services responded alongside HM Coastguard and British rescue resources. An RNLI lifeboat from Eastbourne was also reportedly sent to assist.
The people rescued were expected to be returned to France. At the time of publication, the authorities had not released a confirmed passenger total or provided a final account of any injuries or casualties.
Richard Tice links rescue to Reform policy
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice responded to the developing incident on X, writing: “Mega-dinghy ‘carrying 160 migrants’ catches fire in Channel.
“Being rescued and returned to France - lets hope all safe.
“Just like Reform policy: rescue and return.
“It’s the humanitarian thing to do. We must stop people dying.”
His intervention came a day after Reform UK unveiled Operation Fortress, under which the party says a future Reform government would deploy the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to prevent unauthorised small boats from reaching Britain.
Under the proposal, vessels would be intercepted and their passengers returned to France. The French Government has rejected the plan, arguing that attempted returns without its agreement would violate French sovereignty and international law.
Rescue does not settle dispute over interceptions
Tice presented Tuesday's operation as an example of Reform's proposed policy in action. However, an emergency rescue coordinated after a vessel catches fire in French waters is not necessarily equivalent to the routine interception and return of a boat that is not already in distress.
Maritime search-and-rescue services have an established duty to protect life at sea. Where survivors are taken following an emergency depends on the circumstances, the location of the incident and coordination between the authorities involved.
The incident nevertheless underlines the danger created by increasingly overcrowded Channel crossings. A vessel reportedly carrying around 160 people would be far larger than the boats used during the earlier years of the small-boats crisis.
Information remains provisional
The approximate number aboard, the cause of the reported fire and the outcome of the rescue remain subject to official confirmation.