A total of 54 migrants were taken to France on British vessels.
A dinghy carrying 157 migrants has capsized in the English Channel after its engine caught fire.
They were rescued from the water by French vessels helped by two British Border Security Command boats and an RLNI lifeboat, and are being taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer, French authorities said.
The dinghy 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.
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”.
The number of people on the boat – which left the beach at Veules-les-Roses, near Dieppe, on Monday night – makes it one of the biggest ever to attempt to cross the Channel.
A record 165 migrants crossed in a single vessel last month in a 13m (42ft) boat dubbed a “mega dinghy” by the media.
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”.
The party has described the scheme as a humanitarian response.
Responding on X, party leader Nigel Farage said: “We must put a stop to this. Our plan will save lives.”
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% lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 14% on the same period in 2024 (16,903).
