TEarly in the morning, ships in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais were able to see the counters of small migrant boats. Saturday October 16, several relief operations took place in the Channel. Rescue operations, but above all surveillance, to ensure that the boats do not break up on themselves in the middle of the sea.
The maritime gendarmerie and state vessels needed the support of SNSM crews. “ There were 13 small boatsbreathes Philippe Darques, president of the SNSM of Calais. We mobilized the Notre-Dame-de-Risban to accompany three overloaded boats. There were nearly 70 per boat. »
Luckily, no tragedy was to be deplored for the members of the SNSM. In recent months, volunteer first responders have been called mainly on days when state resources are overloaded. The ship intervened during the fatal shipwreck of October 23, bringing ashore one of the three remains of this tragedy. Always difficult situations for the SNSM teams.
