Channel crossings: more than 200 migrants rescued in 24 hours

Europe 1 with AFP 12:57 p.m., November 13, 2023

More than 200 migrants were rescued in the space of 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday, as they tried to reach England by sea under a slightly more favourable weather window, according to a count by the Channel and North Sea prefecture (Prémar). Among those rescued are two exiles who were drifting off the coast of Calais on Sunday morning in a small dinghy, Prémar said in a statement issued on Sunday night.

In another operation, on Saturday night, the crew of a state-chartered rescue ship rescued 60 migrants. Among them, "a castaway fainted, in a state of hypothermia," she said. By midday Sunday, the same vessel rescued 21 people from another boat in difficulty.

The average number of passengers per boat is increasing

"But during this rescue operation, some migrants managed to restart the engine and refused to be rescued by French means," the statement said. "Given the risks incurred by the migrants in the event of coercive actions to force them to board the State's rescue means (fall into the sea, thermal shock, various traumas), it was decided to let them continue their journey." Another vessel was assigned to monitor the vessel.

In other operations, two groups of 15 migrants, one of 21 and another of 67 were also rescued. For the past ten days, the Pas-de-Calais has been experiencing severe weather causing very significant flooding. The weekend was marked by a lull before more rain. At the end of the summer, the prefecture of Hauts-de-France noted that the average number of passengers per boat used for these dangerous crossings continued to grow, with "an average of 53 people per boat, almost doubling since 2021".