People are feared to have died after a small boat carrying around 30 migrants started sinking into the freezing waters of the English Channel.
Lifeboats, coastguard rescue teams and an air ambulance were sent to help with the major rescue operation in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
An estimated 30 people were travelling in the boat, the UN has said, although local media reported that there could have been up to 47 people onboard.
Pictures of the vessel, obtained by Sky News, show the boat still above the water but contorted and folded in on itself. Migrants are shown crammed into the centre of the dingy, and being pulled up onto a bigger rescue boat.
Fatalities have not yet been confirmed by the authorities and the rescue operation is still ongoing.
South East Coast ambulance service said they were called by the coastguard at around 3.40am on Wednesday to respond to an incident in the Channel.
French rescue services are also taking part in the rescue, with a helicopter and Navy boat assisting British authorities.
A fishing boat has also been used to help in the rescue.
Kent Live reported that those travelling on the boat are believed to have entered the water at the Sandettie Bank, the shallowest point in the Channel and around 20 miles from Kent.
Although it is not yet known how many people have been rescued, pictures published by local media appear to show a dozen or so migrants arriving at Dover.
According to Met Office measurements made by light vessels and buoys in the Channel early on Wednesday morning, the sea temperature varied between 10.3 C in some spots and 12.2 C in others.
But Britain has been gripped by a sub-zero freeze this week, with temperatures plunging as low as -17C overnight.
“HM Coastguard is currently coordinating a search and rescue response to an incident involving a small boat off Kent, working with the Navy, Border Force, Kent Police and other partners,” a spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
They continued: “We have sent Dover, Dungeness, Hastings and Ramsgate RNLI lifeboats and Deal, Dungeness and Folkestone coastguard rescue teams, along with the coastguard area commander.
“HM Coastguard helicopters from Lydd and Lee on Solent and one from the French Navy are involved.”
The incident is still ongoing and South East Coast ambulance service and Kent Police are also involved.
Home secretary Suella Braverman said on Wednesday morning: “I am aware of a distressing incident in the Channel this morning and I am being kept constantly updated while agencies respond and urgently establish the full facts.
“My heartfelt thoughts are with all those involved.”
Charity Refugee Council said: “Very concerned to hear of a major incident involving a small boat in the Channel”.
Dover MP Natalie Elphicke said she was “very saddened to hear that lives are feared to have been lost following a small boat tragedy in the English Channel”.
The government said “all relevant agencies” were involved in dealing with the incident in the English Channel.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident in UK waters and all relevant agencies are supporting a co-ordinated response.
“Further details will be provided in due course.”
It is just over a year since at least 27 lives were lost in the Channel on 24 November 2021.
In that case it took UK and French coastguards 12 hours to respond following the first mayday call, with authorities arguing who was responsible.
The dinghies used to cross the English Channel have become larger on average in 2022, as the route has become increasingly organised and seen more crossings launched by smuggling groups.
An official from the Clandestine Channel Threat Command told a press conference last month that the average number of people in a boat was now 40, compared to 25 last year.
“We are putting that down to the fact we only see larger boats this year,” he added. “Last year we saw a mix which brought the average down, but now there are 40-50 on board.”
More to follow...
