More than 150 migrants rescued after boat catches fire in Channel, French authorities say

BBC Published Aug 4, 2026 Reviewed Aug 4, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

The French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea reported that 157 people were rescued after a boat caught fire while attempting to cross the Channel to the UK.

157 people · migrants French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea, maritime prefecture

More than 150 migrants have been rescued after the boat they were using to cross the Channel caught fire on Tuesday morning, French authorities have said.

The boat was attempting to cross to the UK when its engine caught fire, according to the French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea.

It said 157 people have been rescued and are being taken to port in Boulogne-sur-Mer. There are no reports of anyone having been injured or killed.

It comes just a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged his government will be "relentless" in curbing the number of people arriving in the UK on small boats.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts.

This article was originally published by BBC ↗. citations.press indexes the source-backed facts above and links to the original. Something wrong? Corrections policy · Report an error