A first boat in difficulty with 45 people on board was first identified on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.
Two rescue operations were carried out in quick succession in the middle of the week in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, said Thursday the maritime prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea. In total, 85 migrants were saved in a few hours during attempts to cross the Channel.
First, a boat with 45 people on board was identified overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. The Flamant public service patrol boat of the French Navy is sent to the area to recover the shipwrecked people and take them to the port of Calais. Another ship carried out a bleaching operation in the area to ensure that there were no other individuals at sea.
People in the water
Subsequently, on Thursday morning, another boat in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais was spotted. The intervention, assistance and rescue tug (RIAS) Abeille Normandie of the French Navy is then deployed as well as the Flamant patrol boat and a helicopter.
Two semi-rigid boats are sent to the position of the sinking boat while several people are already in the water. In the end, no casualties were reported. 40 migrants were recovered safe and sound on board the Flamant patrol boat. They were also taken to the port of Calais, awaited by firefighters and border police.
While attempts to cross the Channel have multiplied lately, the maritime prefecture has reminded them of their dangerousness. The sector is “one of the busiest areas in the world” and the weather conditions are often difficult.
Earlier in the week, 70 migrants were already rescued during two operations in the same strait. On Monday, nearly 700 migrants crossed the Channel on Monday in small boats to reach the English coast, the highest number since the start of the year, according to the British Ministry of Defence.