Joint efforts between British and French ships succeeded on Tuesday in rescuing 157 migrants who jumped into the sea after a fire broke out in the rubber boat they were carrying while they were trying to cross the English Channel, without any injuries or deaths recorded. The incident is the largest water rescue operation of its kind since data began to be documented in 2018. France is the main starting point for migrants wishing to reach Britain.

Published on: 04/08/2026 - 15:21

A joint operation between British and French ships on Tuesday resulted in the rescue of 157 migrants who jumped into the sea after their boat caught fire, without any injuries or deaths recorded, in an incident that resulted in the largest water rescue operation of its kind since data began to be documented in 2018.

Fire broke out in a small boat on Tuesday, in the border area between French and British waters, causing all its passengers to jump into the sea, according to what was reported by the authorities of the French province of Pas-de-Calais, who confirmed that no deaths or injuries were recorded.

French maritime authorities had explained that the migrants' journey set off on Monday from the coastal village of "Fols-les-Rose" in the Normandy region.

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For his part, a spokesman for the British Coast Guard announced the intervention of British ships and a rescue boat to participate in relief operations, after the boat caught fire early in the morning within the scope of the French search and rescue zone.

In the same context, the Royal National Charitable Lifeboat Foundation confirmed that a boat was moved in response to the accident at six in the morning.

These developments come at a time when eyewitnesses in France over the past weeks observed larger rubber boats crossing the shipping lane, estimated to be 12 meters long, compared to the usual sizes of between 8 and 10 metres.

In this regard, the French maritime authorities revealed that the average number of people crammed into these small boats has increased from 26 people in 2021 to 65 people since the beginning of this year.

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France is the main departure point for migrants wishing to reach Britain, as they pay thousands of dollars to human smugglers in exchange for boarding overcrowded inflatable boats to cross the English Channel, embarking on dangerous journeys in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

It is noteworthy that last year witnessed the arrival of more than 41,000 migrants to the southern coast of England, achieving the second highest annual rate recorded since 2018.

In terms of human losses, 14 people died while trying to cross the sea this year, according to a statistic conducted by the French Press Agency based on official sources from the two countries, compared to 29 migrants who died last year according to a similar statistic.

France 24/AFP

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