refugees
English Channel: British forces rescue 38 migrants
According to British figures, 29,700 people have already crossed the English Channel illegally into Great Britain this year. photo
© Gareth Fuller/PA/dpa
The escape with a rubber dinghy ended for them in the water. Some of them had to spend almost an hour in the cold water before rescue came.
British forces say they have rescued 38 people from the English Channel. The dinghy in which the migrants were traveling suddenly lost air rapidly early on Thursday morning, the Ministry of Defense in London said.
Some people would have spent almost an hour in the water. They were taken to the port city of Dover. Her condition is stable, there are no deaths.
More than 600 migrants on Thursday
A total of more than 600 migrants in 14 boats reached the country on Thursday. According to preliminary estimates, 29,700 people have reached Great Britain illegally via the English Channel so far this year. In 2021 as a whole, there were 28,526.
The ministry announced that significantly more people were now on the boats. The average increased significantly from 28 inmates to 44 in 2021. Most recently, the government said it was amazing that there had been no serious incidents so far this year. In November 2021, 27 people died in the English Channel after their inflatable boat capsized.
The conservative British government are the illegal crossings a thorn in the side. As a deterrent, migrants are to be flown to Rwanda and apply for asylum in the East African country instead of in Great Britain. If the request is granted, they should stay there. Otherwise they face deportation to their countries of origin. The United Nations refugee agency sees the plan as a breach of international law.