three adults and a child rescued from a boat adrift “for several days”

The four occupants of the pleasure boat were hospitalized on Monday November 11. Two of them were admitted as an absolute emergency.

On Monday, November 11, the Jobourg Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center carried out a rescue operation off the coast of Barfleur, in the English Channel, in the afternoon. Emergency services came to the aid of a pleasure boat adrift, potentially “for several days”, according to the maritime prefecture of Manche and North Sea.

The four occupants of the ship were treated following an initial medical assessment. Three of them were airlifted to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin hospital. Two were admitted in absolute emergency, the third in relative emergency. Brought back to the dock by the rescue boat, the fourth occupant was finally also transferred to the Norman hospital.

Pierre-Yves Marot, public prosecutor of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, confirms to BFM Normandie “that a commercial vessel flying the Cypriot flag, on Monday November 11, 2024, rescued four individuals on a makeshift motorized boat approximately 25 miles away French coasts.

The occupants “would be out of danger”

The magistrate specifies that the vessel was occupied by three adults as well as a one-year-old child. All of them “would currently be out of danger”, underlines the person concerned.

An investigation procedure has been opened to shed light on this matter. She was entrusted to the services of the maritime gendarmerie and the border police.

When their state of health permits, the occupants of the speedboat will be heard. “It will be necessary in particular to establish their identity, their origins and nationality, but also to clarify the exact circumstances of their crossing,” continues Pierre-Yves Marot. At this stage, he insists, “no other element can be confirmed”.