The announcements of a strengthening of the fight against the illegal crossings of the Sleeve made by the French and British governments on Wednesday did not have the desired effect.
Since then, several migrant boats have been intercepted, the last of which, this Friday afternoon, off Calais.
The distress call came directly from the migrant boat.
One of the 42 people on board contacted the Samu du Pas-de-Calais to report that they were in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais.
The message was sent to the Gris-Nez Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (CROSS) which immediately mobilized emergency resources.
Several hundred attempts since the start of the week
The migrants' boat could be located with precision by a fishing vessel and the coordinates were transmitted to the emergency services.
A patroller from the French Navy went there to assist them.
The 42 castaways were welcomed on board and then brought back to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer around 4:40 p.m.
The migrants were taken care of safely by firefighters and border police.
The day before, 11 people had been intercepted in the early afternoon in the same sector.
For Monday alone, 430 migrants had tried their luck aboard dozens of boats.
On Wednesday, the French and British interior ministers revealed an agreement aimed at greatly increasing the means to fight against clandestine crossings of the Channel.
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