Eighty migrants, including twenty children, were rescued Sunday July 25 as they tried to reach England on two separate boats, said the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.
Read also: In Morocco, more than 300 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean
The Gris-Nez regional operational surveillance and rescue center (Cross) was first contacted "
by a migrant boat reporting being in difficulty
", then by a merchant vessel which notified it "
of another migrant boat. adrift north of Calais,
”said the maritime prefecture in a press release.
The Cross then hires the public service patrol boat (PSP) Flamant of the French Navy to bring them assistance.
“
Arrived near the first boat, the PSP Flamant recovered 35 castaways.
He then joined the second boat and took charge of 45 castaways,
”she added.
In total, "
80 castaways (42 men, 18 women including 1 pregnant and 20 children) are brought back to the port of Calais
" where they are taken care of around 1:15 p.m. by the firefighters of the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS) and the Pas-de-Calais border police (PAF).
They are all “
safe and sound
”.
Since the end of 2018, illegal crossings of the Channel by migrants seeking to reach the United Kingdom have multiplied 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.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Saturday July 24 in Calais that he had asked the European border surveillance agency Frontex "
to take care of northern Europe
".
He also said on Twitter that 26 channels of smugglers had been dismantled since the start of 2021.