A "mega" dinghy carrying 230 migrants crossed the English Channel overnight Monday, setting a new record for the largest single vessel known to have made the journey.
The crossing came after a five-day lull in small boat arrivals, according to GB News, with more than 950 migrants reaching Dover over the weekend as calmer weather created conditions for smugglers to launch from the French coast. The mega dinghy surpassed the previous record of 165 people aboard a single vessel. Its capacity was roughly comparable to the number of passengers carried by a Boeing 737.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "This is a record number in a single vessel. It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency." The Home Office said the incident showed the methods used by criminal smuggling gangs.
A Home Office spokesman said: "This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels. We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40 per cent more boots on the ground on French beaches."
The latest arrival follows another serious incident last week, when a dinghy caught fire and capsized in the English Channel. French authorities rescued 173 people from that vessel, with assistance from two British Border Security Command boats and an RNLI lifeboat. Eleven people suffered minor injuries and three were taken to hospital. No fatalities were reported.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said: "It’s a very visible reminder both of the dangerous nature of those crossings and of the blind indifference that human traffickers have for life on those boats. I’m pleased with the work that we’re doing with France. We are seeing some positive steps forward. But we’ve got to keep doing that work to dissuade people from making those dangerous crossings, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The crossing came after a five-day lull in small boat arrivals, according to GB News, with more than 950 migrants reaching Dover over the weekend as calmer weather created conditions for smugglers to launch from the French coast. The mega dinghy surpassed the previous record of 165 people aboard a single vessel. Its capacity was roughly comparable to the number of passengers carried by a Boeing 737.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "This is a record number in a single vessel. It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency." The Home Office said the incident showed the methods used by criminal smuggling gangs.
A Home Office spokesman said: "This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels. We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40 per cent more boots on the ground on French beaches."
The latest arrival follows another serious incident last week, when a dinghy caught fire and capsized in the English Channel. French authorities rescued 173 people from that vessel, with assistance from two British Border Security Command boats and an RNLI lifeboat. Eleven people suffered minor injuries and three were taken to hospital. No fatalities were reported.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said: "It’s a very visible reminder both of the dangerous nature of those crossings and of the blind indifference that human traffickers have for life on those boats. I’m pleased with the work that we’re doing with France. We are seeing some positive steps forward. But we’ve got to keep doing that work to dissuade people from making those dangerous crossings, and that’s what we’re doing.”
