About 140 migrants rescued from a single boat in the English Channel — MyJoyOnline
About 140 migrants aboard a single inflatable boat were rescued in UK waters in the English Channel. The vessel set off overnight from the Normandy coast and requested assistance after entering British waters, MyJoyOnline reports.
According to the French coast guard, the people were picked up by two lifeboats of the UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution. They are to be brought ashore in the United Kingdom. When the boat reached British waters during the day, it was met by lifeboat crews from Bembridge and Yarmouth.
Route from Normandy
The boat departed from the Bay of the Seine and was monitored by French rescue vessels for around 10 hours in case it got into danger. The French coast guard said that attempting to stop it at sea would have been dangerous.
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French authorities noted that departures from this area are unusual: it is located about 170 miles from the usual boat launch sites near Calais, and the route to the United Kingdom is significantly longer. Last year, local officials told the BBC that the number of people attempting to leave from Normandy was increasing.
Measures on the French coast
Several days earlier, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed stepping up efforts to reduce English Channel crossings by small boats. In August, one small boat carrying a record 230 people successfully crossed the channel.
From January 1 to September 1, 2026, 16,513 people crossed the English Channel from France in small boats. Downing Street said that 45 additional police officers would be deployed to French beaches as part of a special unit aimed at countering larger inflatable boats carrying large numbers of people.
