Baby Among 58 Illegal Migrants Rescued While Attempting to Cross the English Channel to the UK!
Today, at least 58 migrants, including four women and a toddler, were rescued from an overcrowded boat that sank in the English Channel while heading to the UK. The small inflatable boat broke down about six miles from Calais, France, after leaving the French coast early Sunday morning. It was one of several boats organized by smugglers trying to cross the Channel, taking advantage of relatively good weather.
Another boat sent out a distress call after leaving Le Portel, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, and around 38 migrants were rescued by a French government-chartered rescue boat called the Minck. Others on the boat were allowed to continue their journey to Britain.
Two naval helicopters helped in the rescue operation for the boat that sank. The operation ended around 11 a.m., and everyone was believed to be safe. However, three people were suffering from hypothermia, and one unconscious man was flown to a hospital in Boulogne. Among those rescued were a two-year-old child and four women.
Migrants often board small, unsafe boats organized by smugglers to cross the English Channel. Photos from January 15, 2025, and October 30, 2024, show migrants attempting this dangerous journey from beaches near Calais.
After the incident, five people were questioned by Border Police, while 40 others were released without questioning. The migrants included people from Afghanistan, Iran, Tanzania, Vietnam, Ghana, Sudan, and Sri Lanka.
New data from the UK government shows that a record 1,489 migrants crossed the Channel from January 1 to February 6, 2025. This is higher than the 1,382 who made the same journey during the same period in 2024.
In January 2025, a Syrian man became the first migrant bound for the UK to die in the Channel this year after being crushed in an overcrowded boat. Tragic deaths like this have become common on this route, which claimed 77 lives in 2024.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the government will increase efforts to fight the smugglers who profit from these dangerous crossings. In April 2024, a criminal investigation was launched after five migrants, including a young girl, died near Calais. The worst tragedy occurred in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after their boat sank while heading to the UK.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have promised to work together more closely to stop the smugglers, but they are often criticized for not doing enough.
