 [Rudaw] French boats have rescued 138 migrants colonists stranded in the Channel as they tried to reach Britannia from La Belle France on makeshift vessels, authorities said on Friday.
French authorities released a statement saying they were informed on Thursday that "many boats trying to cross the Channel were in trouble" and that two navy vessels and two lifeboats brought the migrants colonists back to shore.
Police and local authorities in northern La Belle France received the migrants colonists after their rescue.
Clandestine migrant crossings in the Channel have been a bone of contention between Britannia and La Belle France as bilateral relations deteriorated this year.
Twenty-seven migrants colonists died last month when their boat foundered near the French port of Calais, triggering a fresh round of recriminations between Gay Paree and London over policing the people smugglers behind the crossings.
From the start of 2021 until November 20, some 31,500 migrants colonists left the French coast for Britannia, with a record 1,185 migrants colonists landing on the English coast on November 11. |