Sixty-four migrants, including a pregnant woman and several children, were rescued at sea over the weekend as they tried to reach England on board makeshift boats, the maritime prefecture said.
Saturday, forty-five migrants "including a pregnant woman and children" were first spotted off Leffrinckoucke, near Dunkirk (North), aboard a small boat "in difficulty", according to a press release from the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.
[#Scue] of 45 migrants off Leffrinckoucke (59) by the patrol vessel of Maritime Affairs Thémis du @MerGouv with the assistance of @SauveteursenMer from Dunkirk, under the coordination of #CROSS Gris-Nez ➡️https: //t.co / UvHgxRfuqF pic.twitter.com/LWTj3s46pL
- Maritime Prefecture Channel and North Sea (@premarmanche) November 28, 2020
Approached by SNSM rescuers from Dunkirk, they were finally picked up by the maritime affairs patroller Thémis, dropped off in Calais, and taken care of by firefighters and border police around 6:40 pm, "all safe and sound".
Another group of migrants rescued
Another group of 19 migrants, reported overnight off the Pas-de-Calais, was located at 5:20 am 18 km south of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
At least two children were on board, and "appeared to be hypothermic," said the maritime prefecture in a second statement on Sunday.
[#Scue] of 19 migrants off @Ville_Boulogne (62) by the patroller Jacques Oudart Fourmentin from @douane_france, under the coordination of #CROSS Gris-Nez ➡️https: //t.co/iGFnuMEiz1 pic.twitter.com / 6jJKuw8D5B
- Maritime Prefecture Channel and North Sea (@premarmanche) November 29, 2020
These people were rescued by a French customs patroller and dropped off at Boulogne-sur-Mer, then handed over to the police at 8:54 a.m.
The rescuers at sea feared many illegal crossings this weekend because of particularly calm weather, according to a source close to the rescue.
The English Channel can be very dangerous
If the cliffs of Dover seem very close to the coast of Pas-de-Calais on a clear day, the English Channel can be very dangerous for the precarious boats of migrants, with sustained traffic and strong winds and currents.
At the end of October, a shipwreck left four dead and three missing, decimating an Iranian Kurdish family, the worst migratory tragedy to date in the English Channel, where attempts to cross by boat have increased since 2018.
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On Saturday, a new agreement was signed between Paris and London to put an end to illegal immigration by sea. It provides in particular for the doubling of French patrols from December 1, which will be supported by drones and radars to locate those who attempt the crossing.
