A major rescue operation took place on Tuesday to assist more than 170 people attempting to cross from France to the United Kingdom, authorities in both countries said. It was one of the largest operations of its kind since records began in 2018.
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The inflatable boat was still in the French search and rescue zone when its engine caught fire, causing the vessel to begin breaking apart, the maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea said. The incident “forced its occupants to jump into the water”, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture added.
French authorities then deployed two rescue vessels, a navy helicopter and medical teams. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity specialising in sea rescue, and the UK Border Force also took part in the operation.
No one was killed in the incident. French teams rescued 103 people, while the remaining 54 were rescued by British crews. All were brought ashore at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer to receive medical care and assistance.
The boat had left the Normandy village of Veules-les-Roses at around 6 am, French authorities and the RNLI said. From the moment it set off, it was monitored by French rescue services.
Risking lives to cross
French maritime authorities said migrants attempting the crossing in makeshift, overloaded boats often refuse rescue unless faced with an immediate danger.
Rescuers do not force people off the boats because of the risk of capsizing that would put people’s lives at risk, the statement said.
The boats are often overloaded. French maritime authorities said the average number of people crammed into these vessels has risen from 26 in 2021 to 65 since the start of this year.
In recent weeks, witnesses in France have reported seeing larger-than-usual boats crossing the Channel, measuring around 12 metres in length, compared with the usual eight to ten metres.
Last week, four people died in two separate attempts to cross the Channel on small boats.
Since the start of the year, at least 14 people have lost their lives attempting the crossing, according to an AFP tally based on official French and UK sources.
At least 29 migrants lost their lives last year, according to a similar AFP count.
A sharp drop in attempted crossings
The UK government is showing “unwavering determination” to tackle the issue, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said. “Progress is being made, but we are not letting our guard down,” he added.
In a bid to stem the crossings, London and Paris signed a multi-million-euro agreement earlier this year. It includes reinforced police patrols and surveillance along France’s northern coastline.
The package also deploys new technologies to tackle “taxi boats”: small, usually inflatable motorised craft used by smugglers to pick up migrants along the northern French coast.
“The number of crossings has fallen by 50% this year compared with the same period in 2025,” Andy Burnham said.
“The July we have just experienced is even the month with the lowest number of crossings in six years. Clearly there is progress, but we are not resting on our laurels. We will continue our efforts relentlessly.”
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said an estimated 10,000 migrants have crossed the Channel from France to Britain since the beginning of the year, compared with 24,000 in the same period last year. The number of successful crossing attempts is 160 this year, down from 413, he said.
An increasingly prominent issue in Europe
Irregular migrant arrivals have been an issue faced by multiple UK governments in recent years. They have also boosted support for the far-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.
“We must address this problem rather than turn it into a matter of party politics,” Andy Burnham said, adding that he wants to “take back control of the situation” and “bring in changes that will reassure the public”.
He insisted that Britons do not want a border that appears to be out of control. “We must regain control of our borders while continuing to provide support to people who genuinely need protection,” he added.