Paris, Nov. 14, (dpa/GNA) – The French coastguard rescued 201 boat migrants who were in distress in the English Channel near Calais over the weekend, the maritime prefecture announced on Monday.
It said a number of overcrowded boats got into difficulties on their way to the United Kingdom.
One group of migrants managed to restart the engine of their damaged boat, refused to come on board the French rescue vessel, and travelled on towards the UK.
Large numbers of migrants cross the English Channel from the northern French coast near Calais to the UK in rubber dinghies. Many people have died during the crossings, which are organized by smugglers.
The British government wants to stop migrants travelling in this way, and France has been taking action in support of those efforts since 2018. In March the UK pledged more than €500 million ($534 million) to France over the next three years to fund increased coastal surveillance.
The Politico website reported on Monday that French police managed to stop 3,400 boats carrying over 81,000 migrants from crossing to the UK between January 2018 and August 2023. It cited data from the Paris Ministry of the Interior.
In the same period, 3,500 boats with over 111,000 migrants were recorded making the crossing. However, the actual number of people who made the journey to the UK may be higher, as not all boats and migrants are noticed by the authorities when they arrive on British shores.
GNA