Two Migrant Boats Land At British RAF Base

Two fishing boats carrying 114 migrants, including 28 children, have come ashore at a British military base in Cyprus, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

It is the first time that refugees have landed directly on what is considered British sovereign soil since the migration crisis began.

Little is currently known about their journey to the base or their country of origin.

"We have not established where they are from yet," a spokesman for RAF Akrotiri said.

Although Cyprus is considerably closer to Syria than Italy or Greece it has so far not seen a large influx of refugees.

It is thought migrants have tended to avoid the island due to its relative geographical isolation. There is at least 150 miles of ocean between the base, on the southern coast of the island, and the Syrian shoreline.

Local media is reporting the boats were spotted by fishermen as they approached the Akrotiri base in the early hours of the morning.

A Sky News source on the island said the vessels were apparently able to reach the shoreline unchallenged .

"As we reflect on the landing of these refugees, we must also reflect on how the UK has allowed three to four boats, with up to 180 people, to land undetected and unchallenged within the perimeter of it primary military base from which it launches operations in Syria?

"What if the landing had been of a smaller scale and by members of IS, seeking to attack?

"If the MoD can't detect and intercept refugees, there would appear to be a significant vulnerability as yet unaddressed at a time when security and defence are apparently at the fore of the Conservative government agenda."

Sky News' Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall says the migrants have been moved to a holding base in the military facility, where several are receiving medical attention.

Due to an historic agreement whereby refugees who land at the British base are handed over to Cypriot authorities, Cyprus has assumed responsibility for them.

The MoD said in a statement: "We can confirm that a number of boats with migrants on board have landed on the shore of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

"At the moment our key priority is ensuring everybody on board is safe and well and when we can release further details we will.

"We have had an agreement in place with the Republic of Cyprus since 2003 to ensure that the Cypriot authorities take responsibility in circumstances like this.

"Events like this underline why it is important for us to develop a comprehensive approach to the migration crisis working with our international partners to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria and neighbouring countries; to disrupt the trafficking gangs and to address the root causes of instability that cause people to seek a new life elsewhere."

RAF Akrotiri is one of two British sovereign territories in Cyprus, which was a colony until 1960.

The huge military facility has been used to bomb Islamic State targets in northern Iraq since September 2014.