107 migrants rescued at sea on Christmas Day while trying to cross the Channel

An “intense, but victimless” day. 107 migrants were rescued on Wednesday December 25 as they crossed the Channel to try to reach England. On this Christmas Day, “numerous departures of migrant boats” were observed due to favorable weather conditions, from Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) to Leffrinckoucke near Dunkirk (North), according to the Maritime Prefecture (Prémar).

Throughout the day, 12 assistance and rescue operations were carried out by the Gris-Nez Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (Cross Gris-Nez). Early in the day, 30 people in a makeshift boat were rescued off the coast of Dunkirk. The rest of the passengers wishing to remain on board were taken care of upon arriving in British waters.

Later in the day, emergency services received another call from a boat with an engine problem. The 51 people on board were also taken care of. Finally near Calais, 26 passengers from a small boat in difficulty were also rescued.

The Channel is “a particularly dangerous sector, particularly in the middle of winter for precarious and overloaded boats”, recalls Prémar. At least 73 candidates for exile have died while attempting the sea crossing to reach England since the start of the year, according to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture. This makes 2024 the deadliest year since the appearance of the “small boat” phenomenon in the Channel in 2018.