Record-breaking dinghy carrying 230 migrants crosses Channel as boat pilots don balaclavas to dodge arrest

From the Newshound archive · first published 7 October 2026 · last updated 8 October 2026.

A dinghy carrying 230 migrants crossed the English Channel overnight, shattering the previous single-vessel record of 165 — a passenger load roughly equivalent to a Boeing 737. The crossing came after a five-day lull in arrivals; over the weekend alone, more than 950 people reached Dover on small boats. Nigel Farage called it proof that "this illegal invasion is a national security emergency."

Pilots of the crossings are now wearing balaclavas in an effort to avoid being identified and detained by UK authorities.

Border Force rescued a separate dinghy barely a mile off a Kent beach after one of those on board called 999.

Only last week, a "mega dinghy" went down in the Channel when its engine caught fire, with 173 people pulled to safety by French vessels.