A 25-year-old Egyptian man has been sentenced to one year in prison in France after attempting to smuggle 173 migrants into Britain on a large inflatable dinghy that caught fire in the English Channel. The incident occurred on Tuesday and resulted in burns to eleven people aboard the vessel.

During the trial, the man was found guilty of endangering the lives of those on board by piloting the overcrowded craft under unsafe conditions. The court determined that the defendant’s actions exposed the migrants to an immediate risk of death.

Investigations suggest the fire originated from a fuel leak near the dinghy’s outboard motor, which ignited while the boat was en route across the Channel. Rescue services responded to the emergency, and those injured received medical treatment.

The case highlights ongoing concerns about the dangerous methods used by smugglers to transport migrants across the Channel, often placing large numbers of people in precarious and life-threatening situations. Authorities in both France and the United Kingdom have increased efforts to combat such trafficking operations in recent years.