French authorities said they rescued 107 migrants trying to cross the English Channel from France to England on Wednesday.
Twelve rescues were carried out along the coast of northern France over Christmas, including a boat that developed engine problems, France’s Channel and North Sea maritime prefecture said in a statement.
According to maritime authorities, 30 passengers were rescued from the boat near Dunkirk in the morning, while the others on board wished to continue travelling and were taken into custody by British authorities once they reached British waters.
Later that day, another boat was found near Dunkirk with a damaged engine. All were rescued. There were 51 passengers on board. Twenty-six people were later removed from the vessel in distress near Calais.
The statement said the English Channel is a “particularly dangerous area, especially in the height of winter for unreliable and overloaded vessels.”
According to the Pas-de-Calais authorities, at least 73 migrants have died trying to cross the Channel into the UK this year, making 2024 the deadliest year on record for crossings.
Tens of thousands more have arrived in the UK, where the government has vowed to take tough action against people-smuggling gangs.
In November, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for greater international co-operation in the fight against gangs, which he called “a global security threat akin to terrorism.”
