Border Force is urgently responding to a serious incident off the coast of Harwich, Essex.
Rescuers are said to be dealing with an ‘ongoing’ call-out which it is treating as urgent.
The details are not yet clear and the Home Office said that further information won’t be provided until after the initial response and once the situation has been resolved.
The coastguard has confirmed it sent a helicopter and a plane to help with a search and rescue mission.
Essex Police said it supported the response but it was being led by Border Force – the agency tasked with immigration checks and securing the nation’s borders.
Border Force operates a range of boats, including those used to manage migrant crossings in the Channel.
It is not clear if the incident is related to Channel crossings.
The RNLI is understood to have launched a lifeboat from Harwich, then referred inquiries to the Home Office, the BBC reports.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the RNLI for comment.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Border Force is urgently responding to an ongoing incident off the coast of Harwich. Further details will be provided after the initial response and once the situation has been resolved.’
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency added: ‘HM Coastguard has been coordinating a search and rescue response to an incident off Essex, working with Border Force and other partners.
‘We sent the coastguard helicopter from Lydd and a coastguard fixed wing aircraft. HM Coastguard will continue to safeguard life around the seas and coastal areas of the UK, working with search and rescue resources in the area.
‘If a vessel needs search and rescue assistance, HM Coastguard will continue to respond and rescue those in danger.’
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