80 migrants rescued in English Channel after boat capsizes
About 80 migrants have been rescued in the English Channel after the boat they were travelling in capsized off the coast of Kent.
Border Force, the coastguard and lifeboat crews raced to the scene after the alarm was raised.
No fatalities have been reported and it was unclear whether anyone was taken to hospital.
The coastguard confirmed that it scrambled two helicopters to the incident and the RLNI dispatched lifeboats.
A spokesperson said: “HM Coastguard is coordinating the response to a small boat incident in the Channel this morning, June 6.
“Coastguard helicopters from Lydd and Lee-on-Solent and RNLI lifeboats have been sent.”
The RLNI said: “Dover RNLI all-weather lifeboat and Walmer inshore lifeboat were tasked by HM Coastguard to launch this morning to an incident in the English Channel.”
More information about the incident has not yet been confirmed.
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 tally of crossings since Rishi Sunak, who pledged to “stop the boats”, became prime minister is edging closer to 50,000 while the number arriving since the general election was called is nearing 1,000.
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.
This is up 42 per cent on the number recorded this time last year (7,610) and 8 per cent higher than the same point in 2022 (9,984), according to PA analysis of the figures.
