Forty-five migrants, including children, rescued in the English Channel

Migrants rescued in the English Channel (photo illustration) -

Forty-five migrants, "including a pregnant woman and children", were rescued at sea on Saturday while they were "in difficulty" off Dunkirk (North), aboard a makeshift boat, announced the maritime prefecture.

Approached by SNSM rescuers from Dunkirk, they were finally recovered by the maritime affairs patroller Themis, several "appearing in a state of hypothermia", according to a press release from the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.

Deposited in Calais, they were taken care of by firefighters and border police around 6:40 pm, "all safe and sound".

Four dead in a shipwreck at the end of October

The rescuers at sea feared many illegal crossings this weekend because of particularly calm weather, according to a source close to the rescue.

If the cliffs of Dover seem very close to the coast of Pas-de-Calais on a clear day, the English Channel can be very dangerous for the precarious boats of migrants, with sustained traffic and strong winds and currents.

At the end of October, a shipwreck left four dead and three missing, decimating an Iranian Kurdish family, the worst migratory tragedy to date in the English Channel, where attempts to cross by boat have increased since 2018.

A new agreement between Paris and London

On Saturday, a new agreement was signed between Paris and London to put an end to illegal immigration by sea. It provides in particular for the doubling of French patrols from December 1, which will be supported by drones and radars to locate those who attempt the crossing.

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• Immigration

• Migrants