An Asylum Seeker Boat Appears To Have Made Its Way To Australia

Christmas Island locals say a wooden boat carrying eight people made it 200 metres offshore when it was intercepted by the Navy.

Locals on Christmas Island say a boat with asylum seekers on board has been intercepted by the Australian Navy.

Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

SBS News reports the boat reached Flying Fish Cove before it was stopped by the Navy early this morning.

It will be the first boat to have reached Christmas Island, an Australian territory, since 2013.

According to locals on the island, Navy staff boarded the boat and gave life jackets to the people on board.

It is not known if they are asylum seekers, but they appeared to be on board a wooden fishing boat.

Residents say the boat was escorted to Smiths Point and then the group was put onto a different Navy ship.

The boat interception has been confirmed by a border protection source, according to the ABC.

A spokesperson for immigration minister Peter Dutton told BuzzFeed News "we do not comment on operational matters."