When the rain stopped, crossing attempts resumed. More than 200 migrants were rescued in the space of 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday, while they were trying to reach England by sea, according to a count from the Manche and North Sea prefecture (Prémar) . Among the people rescued were two exiles who were drifting off the coast of Calais on Sunday morning in a small boat, Prémar said in a press release released during the night from Sunday to Monday.
During another operation, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, the crew of a rescue ship chartered by the state rescued 60 migrants. Among them, “a castaway passed out, in a state of hypothermia,” she said. In the middle of the day on Sunday, the same vessel rescued 21 people from another boat in difficulty.
Refusal to be rescued
“But during this rescue operation, some migrants managed to restart the engine and refused to be rescued by French means,” the press release said. “Given the risks incurred by migrants in the event of restrictive actions to force them to board State rescue resources (falling overboard, thermal shock, various trauma), it was decided to let them continue their route. » Another ship was tasked with monitoring this boat.
During other operations, two groups of 15 migrants, one of 21 and another of 67 were also rescued. Pas-de-Calais has been experiencing severe weather for around ten days, causing very significant flooding. The weekend was marked by a lull before more rain.