Dutch authorities have rescued 38 individuals found stranded in a rubber boat off the coast of the Netherlands’ Zeeland province, marking an unusual incident for the region. The vessel was discovered drifting without a motor, and none of the passengers on board were equipped with life vests.
Military police spokesperson Doron Wallin confirmed on Saturday that the group consisted entirely of men. According to reports, 36 of the individuals are from Afghanistan, while two men from Sudan have been taken into custody on suspicion of human smuggling. The incident is considered highly atypical for the Netherlands, where such migrant-related sea crossings are rarely observed compared to routes in neighboring France and Belgium. All 38 on the boat were men, 36 of whom were from Afghanistan, and two – the suspected smugglers – were from Sudan, according to the AFP news agency. We rarely see it here in the Netherlands before today,” Wallin said.
Officials are currently working to determine the origin and intended destination of the vessel, as the investigation remains ongoing. “We don’t know where they came from – France, the Netherlands or Belgium – and we don’t know where the boat was heading,” Wallin noted, adding that while crossings towards the United Kingdom are common elsewhere, they are not standard in Dutch waters. But refugee and migrant crossings in small boats from France to the United Kingdom have become commonplace in recent years, it is not known where the boat was headed.
Authorities are scheduled to launch a formal investigation into the circumstances of the voyage on Sunday to clarify how the group reached the Dutch coast.
