Migrants: decline in the number of Channel crossings in 2023, despite ever-increasing risks. 36,000 crossing attempts, a drop of 30% over one year.
12 migrants died last year. Crossings that are made in makeshift boats. Zodiacs increasingly loaded, sometimes with 80 or 90 migrants on board. Some exiles refuse to be helped during the crossing. “Rescue can only be cooperative” says Marc Véran, maritime prefect of the Channel and North Sea.