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| Coastguard rescues suspected migrants off Kent coast | Coastguard rescues suspected migrants off Kent coast |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Twenty people, including 18 Albanians, have been rescued from a boat that had started taking in water overnight in the English Channel off the Kent coast. | Twenty people, including 18 Albanians, have been rescued from a boat that had started taking in water overnight in the English Channel off the Kent coast. |
| The BBC has been told that some of the passengers, who are believed to be migrants, phoned relatives in Calais to let them know they were in trouble. | The BBC has been told that some of the passengers, who are believed to be migrants, phoned relatives in Calais to let them know they were in trouble. |
| The French authorities were then alerted and contacted the UK coastguard, the BBC understands. | The French authorities were then alerted and contacted the UK coastguard, the BBC understands. |
| Border Force officials are interviewing the 20, which also include two Britons. | Border Force officials are interviewing the 20, which also include two Britons. |
| The UK coastguard said it was called just before midnight on Saturday to an incident off the coastal village of Dymchurch. | The UK coastguard said it was called just before midnight on Saturday to an incident off the coastal village of Dymchurch. |
| A helicopter from nearby Lydd and two lifeboats with coastguard rescue teams from Dungeness and Folkestone began the search. | A helicopter from nearby Lydd and two lifeboats with coastguard rescue teams from Dungeness and Folkestone began the search. |
| About two hours later, at 02:00 BST, a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, known as a rhib, with 20 people on board was found. | |
| The group were handed over to the UK Border Force and taken to Dover. | The group were handed over to the UK Border Force and taken to Dover. |
| An immigration spokesman for the Home Office said they were currently being interviewed by Border Force officers. | An immigration spokesman for the Home Office said they were currently being interviewed by Border Force officers. |
| A Coastguard statement said: "A call was received at 11.40pm yesterday requesting assistance to the RHIB, which was taking on water. | A Coastguard statement said: "A call was received at 11.40pm yesterday requesting assistance to the RHIB, which was taking on water. |
| "The RHIB... was located at 2am and the incident handed over to UK Border Force." | |
| The incident comes after 17 men, thought to be Albanian migrants, were detained after a catamaran arrived at Chichester Marina in West Sussex on Tuesday, along with a 55-year-old British man wanted on suspicion of murder in Spain. | The incident comes after 17 men, thought to be Albanian migrants, were detained after a catamaran arrived at Chichester Marina in West Sussex on Tuesday, along with a 55-year-old British man wanted on suspicion of murder in Spain. |
| The Briton, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and the 17 men were held on suspicion of entering the UK illegally. | The Briton, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and the 17 men were held on suspicion of entering the UK illegally. |
| Also last month, two Iranian men were found floating in a dinghy in the English Channel. | Also last month, two Iranian men were found floating in a dinghy in the English Channel. |