BREAKING: Border Force responds to ‘urgent incident’ off the Essex coast near Felixstowe
Fears up to three migrants have drowned in worst ever incident off English coast after going overboard as rescuers pull two others to safety from ‘very small boat’ 30 miles from Essex
Border Force initially refused to explain exact nature of the incidentBut HM Coastguard confirmed it was a rescue operation it was coordinatingIt sent a helicopter and fixed wing aircraft to look for anyone in the watersIt said it was looking for a vessel that needed rescuing and its inhabitantsThe waters are used by people smugglers to try and get migrants into the UK
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Border Force officers and rescue crews are desperately searching the Channel amid fears three migrants have died from a dinghy in the worst ever incident off the coast of England.
The authorities had already rescued two from the sinking inflatable vessel off Harwich, Essex, last night but renewed the search this morning.
Rescuers are still dealing with the ‘ongoing’ call-out, which has even sparked spotting aircraft being launched to help.
It is being coordinated by HM Coastguard and it sent a helicopter from Lydd and a fixed wing plane.
It is understood they are looking for Somali national passengers from a dinghy who may have left France as early as the weekend.
On Saturday the weather was treacherous coming into shore from the sea.
Freezing waters and high winds combined to make it extremely dangerous for small ships.
The authorities were first alerted to the boat on Monday night and managed to rescue two people.
But they were told more were on the ‘extremely small’ vessel and the searches continues today.
The location is not the usual area for migrants to attempt crossings.
If the trio are found dead it would be the worst ever fatalities incident of its kind off the coast of England.
As of 3pm the Home Office refused to comment on specifics and released very little info information other than it was ‘working on a coordinated search and rescue operation following an incident on Monday’.
The route the migrants are believed to have attempted is twice as long as the shortest trip
Photographs from down in Dover, Kent, showed migrants arriving on shore in a different cross
The rescued people were brought make to land after arriving down in Dover, Kent, today
A 27-year-old Eritrean man died in August this year after a boat carrying 36 people began to sink off the coast of France.
And in October last year a family died attempting to cross from Calais to the UK just off Dunkirk.
Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, Anita, nine, and Armin, six, were all from Iran. Their 15-monthold baby Artin was neveer found.
They made the trip through the icy waters because they were worried about being in Calais during the winter, it was claimed at the time.
The location of the rescue is near port of Harwich in Essex but other ships are moving freely
Family tragedy: Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35 (far left), Anita, aged nine (centre), Armin, aged six (second from right) and Shiva Mohammed Panahi, 35 (far right), all drowned alongside Artin (pictured on relative’s knee second from left)
A group of migrants rescued by the RNLI back in October 16 and brought into Dungerness
The predominantly male group were brought abroad shore and brought to border officials
Record numbers have desperately attempted to cross the Channel with 2,500 having made the journey in October alone.
Figures this year have tripled those from 2020, with so 19,500 making crossings compared to 8,410.
The RNLI has also confirmed it had launched a lifeboat to the scene.
A spokeswoman told MailOnline: ‘HM Coastguard will continue to safeguard life around the seas and coastal areas of the UK, working with search and rescue resources in the area.
‘If a vessel needs search and rescue assistance, HM Coastguard will continue to respond and rescue those in danger.’
The route is a known people-smuggling passage and scores of migrants have been discovered there before.
Because it is such a busy port criminals often use fishing boats to get them onshore, rather than dinghies.
Earlier this year the RNLI said it was proud of its lifesaving rescuing migrants in the Channel.
The charity said in a tweet: ‘Those we rescue are vulnerable people in danger & distress. Each of them is someone’s father, mother, son or daughter – every life is precious. This is why we launch.’
