One person had to be medically evacuated by helicopter. The others were safe and sound.
Several rescue operations took place in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday and during the day that followed. In all, 166 people were rescued, announced the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea in a press release.
Numerous means have been committed by the regional operational surveillance and rescue center (CROSS). First, a customs patrol boat picked up 47 migrants off Le Touquet.
Then, an SNSM ship from Berck-sur-Mer rescued 33 shipwrecked people in difficulty off Fort-Mahon-Plage. 21 migrants were then taken care of in the Calais sector and 43 off Hardelot beach.
A medical evacuation
All of these 144 migrants were dropped off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. They were taken care of by the border police and the firefighters of Pas-de-Calais at the end of the morning this Wednesday.
At the beginning of the followingnoon, the crew of the customs patrol boat Jacques Oudart Fourmentin was once more mobilized to recover 22 people in difficulty on a boat. One of the castaways had to be medically taken care of and evacuated by helicopter. The others were dropped off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
More than 20,000 people attempted to cross the Channel in the first half of 2022 according to the Interior Ministry. This figure is up 68% compared to the previous year at the same period.
