migration
A rescue operation took place off the coast of Koksijde on Sunday morning, after a boat with 38 refugees was spotted. The police quickly arrived on the scene. “But the people on board were not in distress and refused to transfer. They continued to sail, our services accompanied them into French waters.”
Around 7 a.m., the police received several reports from residents on the sea wall of Koksijde. The vessel carrying the refugees, reportedly a large rubber boat with an outboard motor, was first seen near the Heiststraat. When the police arrived, the boat was already several miles out to sea.
A police boat and rescue boat Brandaris from Ship Support in Nieuwpoort quickly went to the scene. There, the officers found the boat with 38 people on board, both men and women. It is unclear whether there are also children on board. This would concern persons of Asian and North African origin.
Sailing further
“There was no request for help, so it is not really a rescue operation,” says Peter Van Camp of Maritime Services and Coast (MDK). “It was decided to escort the boat to British waters and transfer it there,” says Van Camp. “We tried to talk to them all the time, but that didn’t help. All they wanted was to sail further. An interception on the high seas is not possible, because safety cannot be guaranteed.”
The emergency services set up a command post at the sea dike in Koksijde to coordinate everything. “The boat continued to sail and at one point was close to French waters,” police said. “The French coast guard was contacted and will take over the coordination. Our officers stayed with the boat until the French arrived.” At 9 a.m. the boat with illegal immigrants was 9 miles off the coast, close to French waters.
On land in Nieuwpoort
According to provincial governor Carl Decaluwé, it was originally a boat with 53 people on board. “According to the first information, he would have left Dunkirk,” he says. “But the boat turned out to be too heavily loaded, so they could not make the crossing. Then they sailed to the Belgian coast to pick up fifteen people on the beach between Nieuwpoort and Oostduinkerke. Then the boat left again. Those fifteen people could be intercepted on the coastal tram.”
According to the governor, the rescue operation shows that the number of refugees is increasing again. “I therefore call on the federal government to step up its game regarding the issue of transmigration.”
2024-04-14 08:07:05
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