Migrants disembark from a French rescue ship on Tuesday after their boat caught fire during an attempt to cross the English Channel. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP
More than 170 migrants were pulled to safety from the English Channel seaway on Tuesday when the boat ferrying them caught fire and capsized.
Authorities from both France and the United Kingdom were involved in the rescue operation, which they said ranked among the biggest of its kind since 2018.
While inside France's search-and-rescue area, the inflatable's engine caught fire and the vessel began to come apart, forcing those on board to jump into the water, according to the French maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea.
French authorities sent two rescue vessels, a navy helicopter, and medical teams, and British rescue boats, including from the UK Border Force, also joined the operation, Agence France-Presse reported.
