Thirty-three migrants were rescued on Saturday from makeshift boats in two separate operations as they tried to cross the Channel to reach England, the maritime prefecture announced.
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Hired by the regional operational surveillance and rescue center (CROSS), a first patroller rescued around 8 a.m. 17 migrants in difficulty on two boats north-east of the port of Calais, reported the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the sea. of the North in a press release.
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Shortly after 9 a.m., another boat with 16 people on board was in turn rescued off Sangatte by a speedboat from the nautical brigade of the Calais departmental gendarmerie, added the press release.
All safe and sound, the 33 castaways, whose nationality was not specified, were taken care of at the port of Calais by the border police.