French and British rescue teams jointly rescued 173 people after an overcrowded boat caught fire while trying to journey to the British coast. All those on board were safely returned to northern France.
French and British rescue teams saved 173 migrants from an overcrowded dinghy on Tuesday (August 4) after it caught fire while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the UK, in one of the largest irregular small boat crossings ever recorded on the route.
Authorities said although there were no fatalities, 11 people suffered minor injuries, BBC news reported.
French officials said the vessel left Veules-les-Roses, near Dieppe, on Monday night before its engine caught fire near the boundary between French and British search and rescue regions. A mayday call was issued, prompting a major rescue operation involving French vessels, two UK Border Security Command boats, an RNLI lifeboat and a French rescue helicopter.
All 173 migrants were brought back safely to Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. French rescue official Thierry Darras said some people suffered burns, bruises and grazes, but there were no serious injuries. The UK government also said no fatalities had been reported.
The total on board surpassed the previous record of 165 migrants carried by a single small boat that reached the UK last month. The incident took place as the UK government said "all will be returned to France."
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Investigation underway
French authorities said they had initially chosen not to force those on board to transfer to rescue vessels because of the risks involved, but decided to intervene after the fire rapidly compromised the boat.
French prosecutors, meanwhile, have opened an investigation into the incident, and an Egyptian national has been taken into police custody in connection with the case.
The BBC also reported that five people were rescued overnight before the main operation after requiring assistance, while others initially refused help, with French authorities citing the "structural fragility" of the overcrowded vessel.
UK Justice Secretary Alex Norris described the incident as "a very visible reminder" of both the dangers of the crossings and the "blind indifference" of people-smuggling gangs to human life.
A UK government spokesperson said British vessels had supported the French-led rescue operation, adding that Tuesday's rescue highlighted "the terrible dangers of small boat crossings."
The rescue came as irregular crossings and migration policy remain a major political debate in both the UK and France. According to UK provisional figures, 14,561 people have arrived in the UK by small boat so far this year, down 43 percent from the same point in 2025. At least 19 people have died attempting to cross the Channel by one route or another, some on land, since the start of 2026, according to the IOM's Missing Migrants project. Those figures were last updated on July 30.
With AFP, PA Media, and dpa