A boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized off the northern French coast, leaving multiple passengers hospitalised after a major rescue operation in the English Channel.
The incident near Boulogne-sur-Mer on Saturday, May 23rd saw French emergency services and maritime authorities launch a large-scale response after the overcrowded vessel ran into difficulties shortly after departure. According to reports, several migrants suffered hypothermia and other injuries after falling into the water before being rescued by French authorities.
The incident is the latest in a growing series of dangerous Channel crossings involving small boats operated by human smuggling networks transporting migrants from France to the United Kingdom. Three individuals—young Kurds and Somalis—were rushed to hospital in Boulogne. Almost 70 others were assessed, and some treated by medics on shore.
Events near Boulogne-sur-Mer coincide with around 200 other individual crossings into UK waters as part of the second day of illegal small boat arrivals during a long weekend’s heatwave.
The Channel migration crisis remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in Britain, with London repeatedly pressuring Paris to intensify patrols and crack down on trafficking gangs. Despite increased cooperation and funding agreements between the two countries, crossings have continued at high levels this year as smugglers adapt routes and launch methods.
Human rights groups meanwhile continue to warn that increasingly restrictive migration policies are pushing desperate migrants toward ever more dangerous routes across the Channel. At least two of the boats launched on Saturday came out of Belgium, part of a growing crisis for the Belgian authorities, as people smugglers attempt to circumvent enhanced police beach patrols around Dunkirk and Calais.
