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30-04-2026
PARIS: The French coastguard has rescued 106 people travelling in a single boat after it broke down during an attempt to cross the English Channel.
French authorities, who first became aware of the stricken vessel on Saturday, said they were put aboard a rescue ship and taken to Calais in the early hours of Sunday morning.
They initially intervened to help seven people who got into difficulty while climbing into the boat in the Wimereux area, including a woman who lost consciousness and had to be evacuated by helicopter.
The latest rescue comes less than a week after the UK and France agreed a new £662m deal designed to prevent migrants from making the dangerous crossing.
Another six people were rescued in a separate incident, taking the total to 119.
A French Coast Guard spokesperson said: “This maritime area is one of the busiest in the world and weather conditions are often harsh (strong winds and currents, numerous sandbanks and water temperatures that reduce life expectancy to just a few minutes in winter).
“It is therefore a particularly dangerous area, even when the sea looks calm.”
On Thursday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with France that would see riot-trained police sent to beaches along the northern coast to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
The Home Office said the agreement would see hundreds of migrants per year “removed from French beaches” and deported to their home countries, or other EU countries they have passed through.
Some £501m will be spent on boosting enforcement action on beaches.
Additional funding of up to £160m could be made available if the new tactics curb the number of crossings, though that figure may be reduced if the agreement proves to be ineffective.
Between 1 January and 22 April 2026, a total of 6,077 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France, down by 37% for the same period the previous year.
Last week, Riot-trained police will be sent to beaches in France as part of a new £662m deal with the UK to stop illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed the three-year agreement with France on Thursday, which will see at least 50 police officers, trained in “riot and crowd control tactics”, drafted in to tackle violence and “hostile crowds”.
The deal will involve France deploying millions of pounds worth of drones, two helicopters and a camera system to intercept people smugglers and illegal migrants.
For the first time, ministers have said around £100m of UK funding could be redirected or withdrawn after a year if not enough journeys are stopped.
The UK government has not confirmed what targets the French would have to meet in order to keep the money.
As part of the agreement, the Home Office also says it is expecting a removal centre in Dunkirk, first announced by the last government in 2023, to be completed by the end of the year.
Once built, the 140-capacity centre, staffed by more than 200 officers, will focus on removing migrants from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria, Vietnam and Yemen, the department said.
These places represent the top 10 origins of people making small boat crossings last year.
Under the renewed deal, the Home Office wants to see hundreds of migrants per year “removed from French beaches” and deported to their home countries, or other EU countries they have passed through. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
