Lille (AFP)
Twenty-two migrants attempting to join Britain in a RIB were rescued off Dunkirk (North) on Saturday night, said the Channel and Sea Maritime Prefecture. North in a statement.
Towards 00H30, the maritime prefecture was warned by the Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue (CROSS) Gris-Nez "that a semi-rigid boat with 22 migrants", including a woman and a child, was "in difficulty "about 3-5km" off Dunkirk.
An hour later, the migrants were recovered "safe and sound" and sent to Dunkirk where they were "taken care of by firefighters and the police at the borders".
On the night of Thursday to Friday, the authorities had already rescued 24 migrants, including seven miners, off Dunkirk who were also trying to cross the English Channel in a RIB.
On Thursday there were 30 migrants, including 10 children and a baby, who were rescued after reports of fishing boats off the coast of Opal Coast.
British Interior Minister Priti Patel is due to discuss "in the coming days" with her French counterpart Christophe Castaner the fight against these illegal crossings of the Channel by migrants aboard small boats.
These crossings are particularly dangerous because of the density of the maritime traffic, the strong currents and the low temperature of the water.
© 2019 AFP