French and British rescue teams saved 157 migrants whose boat's engine caught fire as they attempted to cross the English Channel.
On Tuesday morning, the vessel's engine ignited while it was in French search-and-rescue waters near British territory. The boat rapidly began to disintegrate, according to a statement from the maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea. French authorities dispatched two rescue ships, a Navy helicopter, and medical personnel, while Britain's Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Border Force also responded.
Of the 157 individuals brought to safety, French vessels rescued 103, and British vessels rescued 54. All were expected to be taken to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France for medical evaluation and aid.
The boat had initially departed from the Normandy coast on Monday and was under surveillance by French rescue vessels. During the night, five passengers required assistance and were brought ashore at Boulogne-sur-Mer. The remaining passengers declined aid from French rescuers, the statement indicated.
French maritime authorities noted that migrants attempting the crossing in makeshift, overloaded boats often refuse rescue unless facing immediate peril. Rescuers refrain from forcing individuals off boats due to the risk of capsizing, which could endanger lives.
Last week, four people died during two separate attempts to cross the Channel in small boats. Earlier this year, the United Kingdom and French governments finalized a new deal involving millions of euros to curb the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. This agreement includes increased police patrols and enhanced surveillance in northern France, as well as the deployment of new technologies to reduce departures by "taxi boats"—smuggler vessels typically used to pick up migrants along the northern French coast.