Approximately 140 migrants were rescued from a single inflatable dinghy in the English Channel after it requested assistance in UK waters. French coast guard officials reported that the vessel launched from the Normandy coast overnight.
Two Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) boats transferred the migrants to shore in the UK. The dinghy had departed from the Bay of the Seine, a departure point approximately 170 miles from the usual launch sites near Calais. French authorities noted this longer route is unusual, but local officials have reported an increase in departures from Normandy.
The crossing was reportedly monitored for about 10 hours by French rescue boats, which determined it was not safe to intercept the dinghy on the water. The vessel reached UK waters around lunchtime.
This rescue comes days after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron met to discuss efforts to reduce small boat crossings. Both leaders agreed that progress had been made in decreasing crossings during the summer months, which have reached their lowest point since 2019. However, they committed to further action.
Despite the overall drop in summer crossings, smugglers appear to be using larger vessels, sometimes referred to as "mega dinghies," to transport more people on fewer trips. This tactic is believed to be a response to increased policing in the Calais area, forcing smugglers to take greater risks to avoid detection.
Between January 1 and September 1, 2026, a total of 16,513 individuals crossed the English Channel via small boat from France. In response to the trend of larger dinghies, Downing Street announced the deployment of 45 additional police officers to French beaches as a "surge team" to combat these larger crossings.