LILLE (France), Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A total of 213 migrants were rescued in the English Channel on Sunday and Monday as they tried to cross from France to Britain in makeshift boats, French officials said.
After “many” boats were reported in distress overnight, rescue operations continued into the day on Monday, the prefecture for the Channel and North Sea said in a statement.
One French navy patrol boat rescued 82 people in four separate operations.
Seventy-six others were rescued in two sorties by lifeboats based in Dunkirk, while the prefecture said boats from Boulogne-sur-Mer rescued 40 people “in a state of hypothermia” from a boat that was sinking.
Another 15 migrants were brought to Boulogne by another navy boat.
Increasing numbers of migrants have tried to cross to Britain by sea since late 2018, despite authorities’ warnings of the dangers in the busy shipping lane, which is also subject to strong currents and low temperatures.
French prefect Philippe Dutrieux said about 15,400 migrants attempted the crossing between Jan 1 and Aug 31 this year: 3,500 of them were recovered “in difficulty” before being brought back to France.
In 2020, around 9,500 people made or attempted crossings, compared with 2,300 in 2019 and 600 in 2018. — NNN-AGENCIES
