French and British rescue vessels pulled 157 migrants from a burning boat in the English Channel on Tuesday morning after the vessel's engine caught fire and its hull rapidly deteriorated. The survivors were being transported to the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, with arrivals expected by midday local time.
The boat had departed Monday night from near Veules-les-Roses on the French coast. Five passengers requested rescue overnight and were evacuated, while the remainder refused assistance and continued toward Britain until the fire broke out near the maritime boundary. French boats rescued 103 people and British vessels picked up 54. No deaths have been reported.
The incident comes as more than 2,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office two weeks ago, despite crossings being down roughly 43% year-on-year following a £662 million UK-France agreement struck in April.