One hundred and twenty-three migrants were rescued in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais on Monday July 12 when they tried to cross the Channel on board several makeshift boats to reach England, announced the maritime prefecture.
One of these boats was carrying 55 people, including 10 women and two children, according to a press release from the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.
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Reported in difficulty off the coast of Equihen-Plage (Pas-de-Calais), these migrants were recovered by an intervention tug from the French Navy and brought back to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
A little earlier, 37 castaways, including a woman, had been spotted with their boat, "
stranded on a sandbank and isolated by the rising tide
" off Dunkirk (North), indicates the prefecture. The star of the rescuers at sea "
not being able to access
" the scene, a helicopter of the French Navy transferred the castaways, "
by successive landings
" on the bench then on dry land. The last five people had to be hoisted because the water "
completely covered the bench in less than twenty minutes
", according to this
press
release. Safe and sound, they were brought back to Calais and handed over to the border police.
A canoe from the National Society for Rescue at Sea (SNSM) also assisted 27 migrants "
in difficulty in the Gravelines sector
" (North).
Finally, four castaways were rescued by a police patrol off Sangatte (Pas-de-Calais) and brought back to the port of Calais.
Friday, July 9, 103 migrants had already been rescued at sea during several operations.
Read also: Calais: 130 migrants again expelled from a disused area
Since the end of 2018, these illegal crossings of the Channel by migrants seeking to reach the United Kingdom have increased despite repeated warnings from the authorities who highlight the danger linked to the density of traffic, strong currents and low temperatures. some water. In 2020, more than 9,500 crossings or attempted crossings of this type were recorded, i.e. four times more than in 2019, according to a report from the maritime prefecture. Six people were killed there and three disappeared, after four deaths in 2019.
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