French coastguards have rescued 157 migrants after a boat carrying them across the English Channel caught fire early on Tuesday morning near the northern French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Local authorities said the incident triggered a rescue operation involving three coastguard vessels, which evacuated everyone on board before transporting them back to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Officials also said five other people from the same boat had been rescued by coastguard teams several hours earlier, although no additional details were immediately provided about the earlier operation.
Authorities have not disclosed the cause of the fire, and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
The latest rescue underscores the dangers of migrant crossings in the English Channel, where overcrowded boats continue to place lives at risk along one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Goodness Anunobi
