KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Dutch authorities rescued 36 Afghan migrants from an inflatable boat stranded off the country’s southern coast early on Saturday and arrested two Sudanese nationals suspected of human smuggling, officials said.
The rescue operation took place near the coastal town of Breskens in Zeeland province, about 250 km (155 miles) south of Amsterdam, after authorities received reports of a boat drifting in the North Sea, Doron Wallien, a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, told The Associated Press.
The boat was carrying 38 men, including 36 Afghans and two Sudanese nationals. It had lost its engine and was drifting without life jackets, leaving the passengers in what authorities described as a dangerous situation.
The passengers were brought ashore in the nearby village of Cadzand, where they received initial assistance and were checked for signs of hypothermia. The 36 Afghan men were later transferred to another location, where authorities are verifying their identities and assessing their migration status.
It remains unclear where the boat departed from or where it was heading. Wallien said authorities were investigating whether it had come from France, Belgium or the Netherlands.
“We don’t know where they came from — France, the Netherlands or Belgium — and we don’t know where the boat was heading,” Wallien told the AP.
The two Sudanese nationals were arrested on suspicion of human smuggling, Wallien said.
The rescue comes amid ongoing reports of Afghan nationals being detained while attempting to enter or travel through European countries using irregular migration routes. In September, police in Bosnia and Herzegovina detained 18 Afghan migrants attempting to enter the country illegally. Bulgarian police detained 35 Afghans in August, while Polish authorities detained 15 Afghan nationals in July among a group of 54 migrants attempting to cross the country’s border irregularly.
Many Afghans leave their country because of economic hardship, limited employment opportunities and political instability, while some say they fear persecution following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that around eight million Afghans have left the country since 2020, with approximately one million reaching European countries, mostly through irregular migration routes. The agency has also reported at least 5,046 deaths among Afghan migrants since 2014.
Afghans attempting to reach Europe through irregular routes often face lengthy and dangerous journeys, exposing them to exploitation, detention, violence and life-threatening conditions. Many rely on human smuggling networks to cross borders and reach countries where they hope to seek asylum or other forms of protection.
