Dutch authorities rescue 38 people adrift in rubber boat

No one was wearing a life vest.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.

The two Sudanese men have been arrested on suspicion of people smuggling.It is not known where the boat was headed, but refugee and migrant crossings in small boats from France to the United Kingdom have become commonplace in recent years.

It is unusual for boats to be discovered in Dutch waters, however.“These are things you usually see in France and Belgium.

We rarely see it here in the Netherlands before today,” Wallin said.Dutch authorities will open an investigation into the case on Sunday.

Migrant boats are rarely found in Dutch waters, and authorities are still trying to establish where this one came from.