Two ships in difficulty were rescued on June 26 and 27, in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais. 153 refugees were saved and placed on dry land.
Two rescue operations on ships carrying migrants were carried out in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, on the night of Wednesday June 26 to Thursday June 27. 153 refugees were saved, announced the maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea in a press release.
An initial operation was launched after a boat left the coast of Gravelines. A coastal patrol boat from the maritime gendarmerie was deployed to find the vessel.
A few hours pass when the refugees on board call for help. Aboard the Armoise, the crew begins the rescue operation. They will then be helped by the Ridens, a rescue ship launched by the Cross.
77 shipwrecked people were saved, 38 on board the Armoise and 39 in the Ridens. They were rescued as far as the port of Calais.
A second ship rescued in the morning
The second rescue took place on the morning of Thursday 27th. Off Le Portel, a ship in difficulty, with 76 people on board, was rescued by the crew of the Minck.
They were dropped off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer before being taken care of first by the emergency services and then by the border police.
The maritime prefecture points out the risks associated with trying to cross the Channel, the maritime zone being one of the busiest in the world, with many commercial ships crossing it every day, and often unfavorable weather conditions.
