UK Border Force officers were among a rescue team that saved more than 100 migrants in the Mediterranean on Saturday, May 31.
HMC Protector, one of Border Force’s cutters, was on patrol for Operation Triton south of Sicily when it was alerted by the Italian Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre in Rome to a migrant boat in distress 60 miles from the coast of Libya.
A total of 104 migrants have now been taken to Lampedusa, among them were 51 men, 50 women and three small children.
HMC Protector and HMC Seeker, two of the Border Force cutter fleet, were deployed to Frontex’s Operation Triton in order to support search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said:
There have been some distressing scenes in the Mediterranean and that is why we agreed to enhance the existing Frontex operation, which Britain already supports, by providing two Border Force cutters.
Image: UK Government