Boy plugs dinghy holes with fingers during Channel migrant rescue.

By Our Defence Editor: Doug Trench

DOVER, KENT – A nine-year-old boy reportedly saved a Channel dinghy from sinking this week by plugging two punctures with his middle fingers while en route to Britain.

Young Azim Goolalawally, traveling with relatives as part of a group of Bangladeshi asylum seekers, had made it roughly two miles into French waters when the inflatable vessel began to take on water through two small holes.

According to witnesses, Azim (Channel migrant) implemented what maritime experts are calling the “dual-digit emergency seal technique.” “Water comes fast,” said one fellow passenger. “Little boy push two middle fingers into the holes. That is all.”

The improvised repair reportedly stabilized the vessel long enough for the French coast guard to escort the vessel towards English waters, at which point the passengers were handed over to British authorities.

Endless flow

Coast Guard sources confirmed that Azim (Channel migrant) maintained his fingering throughout most of the journey. “He showed remarkable commitment,” one official said. “He must have had a lot of practice in Bangladesh.”

Immigration officials say Azim and his family will now begin their new lives in the United Kingdom, where several politicians have already praised the young boy’s courage.

Representatives from the Labour Party, the Green Party, and the Liberal Democrats issued statements welcoming the family, describing Azim’s actions as “brave, resourceful, and a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.”

The statement also clarified that suitable accommodation for the migrants would be arranged somewhere appropriate – outside of their own constituencies.