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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| 'Migrant boat' off Dungeness sparks Channel rescue bid | 'Migrant boat' off Dungeness sparks Channel rescue bid |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Nine people have been rescued from an inflatable boat that ran into trouble in the English Channel. | Nine people have been rescued from an inflatable boat that ran into trouble in the English Channel. |
| Coastguards and the RNLI went to help the vessel - an RIB or rigid inflatable boat - which was about 20 miles south of Dungeness in Kent. | Coastguards and the RNLI went to help the vessel - an RIB or rigid inflatable boat - which was about 20 miles south of Dungeness in Kent. |
| The rescued people have been taken on board a lifeboat and are being looked after. The vessel is being towed back to shore, the RNLI said. | |
| The BBC has had unconfirmed reports the boat was carrying migrants. | The BBC has had unconfirmed reports the boat was carrying migrants. |
| The Home Office has not yet commented, but the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has confirmed the nine, including eight men and one woman, were not British nationals. | |
| 'Illegal crossings danger' | |
| The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it was working with the Border Force and Immigration Enforcement and an investigation was under way. | |
| An NCA spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident this morning that led to a number of persons being rescued." | |
| He said the group were receiving appropriate medical attention, adding: "This incident demonstrates the dangers associated with such attempts to cross the Channel illegally." | |
| An MCA spokeswoman said a search and rescue operation involving lifeboat crews from Dover, Dungeness and Eastbourne and a coastguard helicopter took place following an alert received just before 05:00 GMT. | |
| She said: "A vessel has been found and nine people rescued and taken on board the Dungeness all-weather lifeboat where they are currently being looked after by the crew." | She said: "A vessel has been found and nine people rescued and taken on board the Dungeness all-weather lifeboat where they are currently being looked after by the crew." |
| No further information on the origin of the people on board, or where the boat was travelling from, was available. |