Egyptian man arrested accused of putting 173 migrants on 'mega dinghy' that caught fire in Channel 'would have earned £173,000'
Search teams were deployed at about 6am on Tuesday after the boat’s engine burst into flames off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer while carrying 173 people
An Egyptian national has been arrested in France after 173 migrants had to be rescued from a dinghy that caught fire and capsized in the Channel yesterday.
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The small boat was carrying 173 migrants when it burst into flames on Tuesday - forcing French vessels, two British Border Security Command boats and an RNLI lifeboat to rush to their aid.
Pictures show the migrants being brought ashore at Boulogne-sur-Mer after the vessel caught fire while still in the French search and rescue region on Tuesday morning, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
A total of 54 migrants were taken to France on the British vessels.
Miraculously, there were no reported fatalities, the UK Government said.
Reports suggest each migrant paid £1000 for the crossing - making the smugglers a total profit of £173,000.
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French authorities confirmed later that 173 people had been rescued - 11 of whom had suffered injuries. Authorities say it was the largest single vessel used in an attempted migrant crossing.
Of these 11, three were taken to a French hospital.
The number of people on the boat, which left the beach at Veules-les-Roses, near Dieppe, on Monday night, makes it the biggest ever to attempt to cross the Channel.
It has surpassed the record 165 migrants who crossed in a single vessel last month in a 13m (42ft) boat dubbed a “mega dinghy” by the media.
In a translated statement, French authorities said the decision was initially made not to force the migrants to board rescue vessels to “avoid endangering their lives”.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “This morning, the Border Security Command was alerted to an incident in the Channel concerning a migrant small boat in distress in French waters.
“British vessels supported a French search and rescue operation. This is a live rescue operation but at this stage there have been no fatalities reported. Those on board will be safely returned to France.
“This incident underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings. We continue to work relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys.”
A coastguard spokesperson said: “A vessel caught fire earlier this morning whilst in the French search and rescue region. UK vessels and a lifeboat are assisting.”
An RNLI spokesperson said Eastbourne’s all-weather lifeboat launched at 6am on Tuesday.
The incident comes a day after Reform UK proposed using the Royal Navy to return migrants to France or Belgium under a plan called “Operation Fortress”.
A spokesman said: “This incident proves that Reform UK’s Operation Fortress plan is workable and that British vessels are able to take Channel migrants back to France without violating maritime or international law as part of a humanitarian mission.
“It also confirms that these crossings on overcrowded, dangerous dinghies are a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen and must be stopped immediately.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “This is why it’s so wrong that French police stand by and do nothing while the illegal migrant boats embark – lives are being risked.”
Last Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings in the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK.
But the number of overall arrivals for 2026 has dropped since last year.
The provisional total for the year is 14,526, 43 per cent lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 14 per cent on the same period in 2024 (16,903).