More than 150 people were rescued in the English Channel after a migrant boat caught on fire on Tuesday morning, French authorities announced.
The French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea said in a statement that 157 people were rescued from the boat and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer after its engine caught on fire.
#Opérations d’assistance et de #sauvetage de 157 personnes au large de Boulogne-sur-mer (62)
Coordination@CROSSGrisNez
En savoir plus ➡️https://t.co/M1yUURnTRo pic.twitter.com/3GfPRBD6rP
— Préfecture maritime Manche et mer du Nord (@premarmanche) August 4, 2026
During the night of Monday-Tuesday, the French Sea Rescue Society (SNSM) rescued five people from the boat who required immediate assistance; however, the remaining passengers refused help, French authorities said.
“Given the structural fragility of the overcrowded boats, the decision was made not to systematically force the boats to embark on rescue vessels, in order to avoid endangering the migrants’ lives in the event of a shipwreck,” French authorities said.
Fire broke out after ship’s engine deteriorated
Hours later, while traveling through the French Safety Restricted Route, the ship’s engine caught fire and “the vessel’s integrity deteriorated rapidly.”
The Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center broadcast a Mayday message, and French and British rescue teams were dispatched to the area to rescue shipwrecked individuals.
At the end of the operation, 157 people had been rescued and brought to Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. French boats rescued 103 migrants, and the British boats rescued the remaining 545.
No fatalities have been reported.
