Nineteen migrants were rescued during various operations in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais on Thursday, August 6, as they tried to reach Great Britain, said the maritime prefecture. At around 6 a.m., the maritime affairs patroller Thémis, at sea in the area, took charge of three migrants aboard a kayak in difficulty, then, on his way to the port of Calais, another migrant also on a kayak, the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea reported in a press release.
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The Gris-Nez regional operational surveillance and rescue center (CROSS) was then warned around 8 a.m. of the presence of three migrants in difficulty aboard a kayak off Tardinghen. They were rescued by a speedboat from the gendarmerie nautical brigade.
Later in the afternoon, shortly before 3:00 p.m., the Themis also picked up 12 migrants “ victims of an engine failure on their inflatable boat which was starting to take on water ”. As some of the castaways appear to be in "a state of hypothermia ", " a support for the castaways by the firefighters on their arrival " was recommended. " They are all safe and sound, " said the prefecture.
