Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleAuthorities in the Netherlands have rescued 38 people found adrift in a rubber boat off the Dutch coast, according to reporting by Al Jazeera, which drew on The Associated Press and AFP. The case is described as one of the first interceptions of its kind for the country.
What authorities found
The dinghy was discovered drifting with no motor off Zeeland province, which lies far to the southwest of Amsterdam. No one on board was wearing a life vest.
All 38 people on the boat were men, according to AFP. Of them, 36 were from Afghanistan and two were from Sudan.
Military police spokesperson Doron Wallin told The Associated Press on Saturday that two of the people aboard are thought to be smugglers, while the rest are migrants. The two Sudanese men have been arrested on suspicion of people smuggling. They have not been convicted of any offence, and the allegations remain unproven.
Origin and destination unclear
Officials do not yet know where the journey began or where the boat was going. Wallin said investigators cannot say whether the boat set out from France, the Netherlands or Belgium.
“We don’t know where they came from,” he said, adding that the intended destination is also unknown.
Small-boat crossings of refugees and migrants from France to the United Kingdom have become commonplace in recent years, Al Jazeera noted. Even so, it is unusual for boats to be found in Dutch waters.
Wallin said such incidents are typically seen in France and Belgium. He added that, before this case, they had rarely been seen in the Netherlands.
What happens next
Dutch authorities are due to open an investigation into the case on Sunday. The inquiry is expected to look at the circumstances of the voyage, though the source does not detail its scope.
For readers in Canada, the case is a reminder of the continuing movement of migrants by small boat in northwestern Europe, though the source does not link this incident to Canada.
Source: Al Jazeera
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