It could have ended in tragedy. More than 170 people have been rescued after the small boat they were using to cross the Channel burst into flames.

So, what actually happened?

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a small boat packed with people trying to reach the UK suffered a catastrophic engine fire mid-Channel.

According to the French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea, the boat had left France on Monday night. At first, they said 157 people were on board, but that figure has now been revised up to 173. Thankfully, there are no reports of any injuries.

All 173 have now been taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer in France.

It sounds like it was a very tense night at sea. French authorities say that overnight, five people on board needed to be rescued, but the rest refused help from French patrol boats.

In a statement, the prefecture said: "Determined to reach the United Kingdom, migrants crossing the Channel in small boats refused assistance offered by French emergency services, accepting it only in situations of extreme emergency."

Because of the "structural fragility" of these boats, they decided not to intervene further at that point.

Then this morning, disaster struck. The engine caught fire, and the "vessel's integrity deteriorated very rapidly".

That’s when both French and British crews scrambled to the scene, including the RNLI Eastbourne lifeboat and UK Border Force vessels BSC Contender and BSC Courageous.

In the end, two French boats rescued 105 people, British boats rescued 63, plus the initial five - totalling 173.

The UK Government has responded, saying "all will be returned" to France. A spokesperson for the Border Security Command confirmed they were alerted to a small boat in distress in French waters, saying the incident "underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings".

Border Security Minister Anna Turley added: "This shows the dangers of these illegal crossings and the ruthless gangs behind them. That's why we are bearing down on them."

But the politics is already kicking off. 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."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted on X: "We must put a stop to this. Our plan will save lives."

The incident comes just as crossings are back in the headlines. According to cbinews.tv, more than 2,000 people have arrived in the UK on small boats since Burnham became Prime Minister a fortnight ago, with last Wednesday seeing 752 arrivals - the busiest day so far this year.

Though overall, Home Office figures show crossings are down about 43% compared to this time last year.

During a visit to Dover on Monday, Prime Minister Burnham said his government would be "relentless" in curbing small boat arrivals, pointing to doubled enforcement officers on both sides of the Channel and the £662m three-year deal struck with France in April.

Story via cbinews.tv

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