By John Smith • Published: 15 Apr 2024 • 15:48
Belgian coastguard service escorted the immigrants Credit: MDK
You literally couldn’t make up a story about illegal immigrants in an overcrowded boat telling Belgian coastguards that they don’t want to be rescued until they get to the UK.
This was reported by Belgian TV station VRT News on the morning of Monday April 15 as no less than 57 men and women were spotted on a large dinghy in the North Sea.
As reported by VRT, Belgian Coastguard press officer Peter Van Camp explained that following reports to police of sightings of the boat, “The emergency services immediately set sail from the ports of Nieuwpoort and Ostend in an attempt to convince the people on the boat to turn back because the situation was too dangerous, but they had no intention of stopping.
“We talked to them, but we cannot force them to turn back. The boat is overcrowded, there are people sitting on the edge. If you intervene, the boat could capsize. Safety is the most important thing.”
For these reasons and the obvious determination of those on board, the authorities decided to escort the dinghy to British waters and to the hand over the rescue duties to the UK coastguard who they had previously alerted.
As UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to stop illegal immigrants arriving in the UK by boat, time will tell what will happen to these 57 men and women.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
The land of milk and honey! Must be really desperate and in need of safety
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