Two men have been arrested after six migrants were found in the back of a truck at Newhaven ferry port in the south of England and taken to a hospital.

Both the men are in custody, with one detained on suspicion of people smuggling and the other suspected of entering the UK illegally, Sussex police said on Friday.

The discovery at the East Sussex port has sparked a major emergency services response. With ambulances, police, and Border Force in attendance, no fatalities have been reported at this stage.

Sussex police said, “We are currently supporting Border Force, who is the lead agency, and other emergency services after a number of people were found on a lorry on a boat in Newhaven Port.

“A man has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to the UK, and a second man has been arrested for illegally entering the UK.

“The ambulance service has taken six more people to the hospital for treatment.”

A force spokesman confirmed the boat referred to in its statement was a ferry.

South-East Coast Ambulance Service said it was called to the incident at 9:40 a.m. (0940 GMT).

The Home Office confirmed Border Force was involved in responding to the incident but said that while it was ongoing, “it would be inappropriate to comment further.’’

Responding to media reports about the incident, Lewes MP Maria Caulfield, whose constituency includes Newhaven, said in a post on X: “Very concerned about these reports.

“From my office in Newhaven, we can see lots of activity opposite the port, thanks to the emergency services responding.” 

(dpa/NAN)