Migrants rescued after boat gets into difficulty off the coast of Kent
Some of the group are thought to have been pulled from the water
Last updated 6th Jun 2024
Around 80 migrants are understood to have been rescued after a boat got into difficulty while crossing the Channel.
Some of the group are thought to have been pulled from the water, with the coastguard and lifeboat crews called to help Border Force during the incident off the Kent coast on Thursday morning.
No fatalities have been reported at this stage and it is so far unclear whether anyone will need to be taken to hospital.
The Coastguard has confirmed that it has scrambled two helicopters to the incident in the Channel and the RNLI has dispatched lifeboats.
A spokeswoman confirmed the coastguard was "co-ordinating the response to a small boat incident in the Channel this morning", adding: "Coastguard helicopters from Lydd and Lee-on-Solent and RNLI lifeboats have been sent."
The RNLI said lifeboats from Dover and Walmer attended.
More than 125,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in the last six-and-a-half years as the recent crisis unfolded.
Since the Government struck the deal to send migrants to Rwanda over two years ago - which has since stalled amid legal challenges - more than 80,000 people have made the journey.
The Home Office said 34 people made the journey in one boat on Wednesday, taking the provisional total number of crossings for the year so far to 10,779.
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