Empty boat washes up in Kent - police and coastguard launch search for suspected migrants
A SEARCH is underway on the Kent coastline this morning after a suspected migrant boat washed ashore.
The empty vessel was found on a beach in Dungeness, Kent, at around 8.10am. HM Coastguard coordinated the search for the boat's occupants but by 10.30am none of them had been found. Kent Police was informed but passed inquiries onto the Home Office.
The boat is a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) similar to those used by other migrants arriving in Kent in recent weeks.
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "HM Coastguard is currently coordinating a search at Dungeness in Kent after an empty RHIB was found on the shore around 8.10am today (7 January).
"Dungeness Coastguard Rescue Team is leading the beach search and Kent Police has been informed.
"HM Coastguard is committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.
"We are only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities."
HMS Mersey is currently circling several miles from the shore between Folkestone and Dungeness, according to marinetraffic.com.
The Dungeness RNLI and SECAmb have confirmed they are not involved with the search.
It comes just a week after Border Force officials intercepted 12 suspected migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, in nearby Greatstone.
The group, also consisting of two women, presented themselves as Iranian nationals after being detained on New Year's Eve.
They received medical attention and were then handed to immigration officials so their status could be decided.
At the time, eyewitness Susan Pilcher, 47, said after seeing their boat: "It's frightening knowing people will risk going through that shipping lane on something so basic." Just a day before that, six Iranians washed up in Dover - taking the total to 100 since Christmas Day.
More than 220 people have attempted to cross the Channel since November, leading to Home Secretary Sajid Javid describing it as "a major incident."