Nineteen migrants were rescued off the coast of De Haan during the night between Wednesday and Thursday, the federal police have confirmed.
The migrants’ inflatable boat was adrift after its motor malfunctioned and the hull developed a leak.
At around 03:30, the emergency line received a distress call in English reporting that a small boat carrying approximately twenty people was in trouble at sea.
The Blankenberge Volunteer Sea Rescue Service and the maritime police responded immediately. They located the drifting boat near De Haan, confirming the motor failure and a ruptured inflatable hull on its starboard side.
Onboard were 18 men and one woman. Only one passenger was wearing a life jacket, a scenario increasingly common in such crossings.
All the migrants were brought to safety by the rescue teams, who provided them with survival blankets for warmth. According to the passengers, they had been at sea for six to seven hours. No one required hospitalisation.
The maritime police administratively detained all those onboard. They remain in custody awaiting the decision of Belgium’s Immigration Office.
Authorities are investigating a possible human trafficking network suspected of organising the attempted crossing to the United Kingdom.
“This situation highlights once again the dangers involved in trying to cross to the United Kingdom,” said An Berger, spokesperson for the federal police. She added that federal and local police zones will continue conducting checks to combat human smuggling, using resources on land, sea, and air, including Frontex aircraft and federal police air support.
