Seventy-one migrants, who were trying to reach England on board makeshift boats, were rescued at sea off the North, during two operations on the night of Monday to Tuesday, October 26, announced the maritime prefecture.
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A first boat was first reported "
in difficulty in the Dunkirk channel
" with 38 migrants on board. All were recovered by a tug of intervention, assistance and rescue, explains in a press release the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea (Premar). But while the tug was heading towards the port of Dunkirk, it was engaged in a second operation, in order to rescue 33 other castaways. All safe and sound, they were handed over to the border police.
During the day on Saturday, 39 migrants were rescued off the Pas-de-Calais. Six of them, who fell into the sea, had to be hoisted and evacuated to the Boulogne-sur-Mer hospital, according to the Premar. Since the end of 2018, 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 the low temperature of the water. According to the maritime prefect Philippe Dutrieux, some 15,400 migrants attempted the crossing between January 1 and August 31, of which 3,500 were "
recovered in difficulty
In the strait and brought back to the French coast.
In 2020, crossings and attempted crossings concerned some 9,500 people, compared to 2,300 in 2019 and 600 in 2018.