Three hundred and forty-two migrants who were trying to reach England on makeshift boats were rescued on Sunday off the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, two of whom were in a state of advanced hypothermia and one injured, announced the maritime prefecture.
In the night from Saturday to Sunday then in the day of Sunday, the operational center of surveillance and rescue (Cross) Gris-Nez was informed “that many boats” were in difficulty off the North and the Pas-de -Calais, said the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea (Premar) in a press release.
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Two people in a state of hypothermia, one injured
An intervention, assistance and rescue tug was then engaged on three rescue operations, “during which it recovered 124 castaways”, and a patrol vessel of the French Navy “recovered 95 castaways” during eight operations . Rescuers at sea from Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne-sur-Mer have recovered 121 people during six separate operations, detailed the prefecture.
Three castaways were also winched, including two in a state of advanced hypothermia and one injured.
On Saturday, 76 people trying to reach England had been rescued and 95 on Friday.
1,115 migrants rescued by the United Kingdom on Friday and Saturday
For its part, the United Kingdom rescued or intercepted a total of 1,115 migrants crossing the Channel on board small boats on Friday and Saturday, the British Home Office said on Sunday.
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.
According to the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, arrests of illegal boats have however increased by 15 points in the last three months, from “from 50% to 65% of boats arrested”, he said on Saturday during a trip to the coast.
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