RNLI Rescues 140 Migrants From Normandy-Launched Dinghy as Crossings Shift 170 Miles West
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 6
RNLI Rescues 140 Migrants From Normandy-Launched Dinghy as Crossings Shift 170 Miles West
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 6
Summary
Around 140 migrants were picked up in UK waters after their inflatable dinghy left Normandy on Saturday night and called for help in the English Channel.
French rescue boats shadowed the vessel for about 10 hours from the Bay of the Seine, but authorities said stopping it at sea was unsafe before RNLI lifeboats from Bembridge and Yarmouth took passengers ashore.
The departure point was unusual—about 170 miles from the usual Calais launch area—suggesting smugglers are pushing farther west and relying on larger "mega dinghies" to evade tighter policing.
The rescue came days after Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron agreed to scale up action, with Britain citing 48,000 prevented crossing attempts, 1,100 seized boats and engines, and 45 extra officers for French beaches.
Channel crossings remain lower this summer than any since 2019, but 16,513 people still reached the UK by small boat between Jan. 1 and Sept. 1, after a record 230 crossed in one boat in August.