Last weekend, French emergency services rescued 134 migrants in six rescue operations in the North Sea, the French coast guard said. The passengers wanted to cross to England.
The first boat with 21 people on board experienced problems in Nau de Calais during the night from Saturday to Sunday. They were rescued by the navy and handed over to the fire brigade and border police at the port of Dunkirk.
During Sunday, five other vessels of various sizes were intercepted. One of them had 60 passengers, the smallest was a rubber boat carrying 2 migrants. The 21 passengers on board the ship, which initially experienced engine problems, started their engines, refused help and were allowed to continue sailing by the French navy.
The English Channel is home to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, used by more than 400 cargo ships per day. In recent years, more and more migrants have crossed the strait. According to UK government figures, 10,959 people reached the UK this way in 2020, 34,443 in 2021, and 58,502 in 2022, the vast majority of them from Iran, Albania, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. On October 3, the counter for the year reached 25,330.
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