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Migrants off the French coast (photo from May 9)
Photo: SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP
The crossing seems short, but it is life-threatening: the French authorities again saved numerous migrants in the English Channel at the weekend.
As the authorities announced on Monday, 113 refugees had been rescued.
They would have wanted to get to Britain on board several boats.
A woman and two hypothermic children were among the rescued.
First, a patrol boat was assigned to come to the aid of 40 refugees on a ship in distress.
The migrants were taken to Dunkirk.
A gendarmerie patrol boat then rescued 38 refugees who were taken to Calais.
In two other operations, the remaining 35 migrants were brought to safety.
More than 600 people apparently made the crossing to the English coast.
According to the French authorities, 38 migrants died in the English Channel last year, 27 alone in an accident in November.
8,000 people saved since the beginning of the year
Despite the dangers, more and more people have been trying to cross the strait, which is heavily frequented by merchant shipping, for years.
More than 8,000 people have crossed the English Channel from France to the UK in small boats this year, Britain's PA news agency reported, citing UK government data.
The number of boat migrants on the English Channel will probably reach a new high: in the same period last year there were around 3100 people, two years ago 1340.
The government in London hopes that its new asylum policy will put people off.
Accordingly, in the future, a large number of illegally entered migrants will no longer be granted the right to asylum in Great Britain.
Instead, they should be sent to Rwanda and be able to apply for asylum in the East African country.
A corresponding agreement with Kigali provides for Great Britain to provide the country with appropriate financial resources in exchange.
fek/AFP/dpa