The first boat with 21 people on board got into trouble on the Nau de Calais during the night from Saturday to Sunday. They were rescued by the navy and handed over to the fire brigade and border police in the port of Dunkirk.
During the course of Sunday, five other boats of various sizes were intercepted. One had sixty people on board, the smallest was a rubber boat with two migrants on board. The 21 passengers of a boat that initially had engine trouble got the engine started, refused help and were allowed to continue sailing by the French navy.
In recent years, more and more migrants have been crossing the strait. According to British government figures, 10,959 people reached the UK this way in 2020, 34,443 in 2021 and 58,502 in 2022, most of them from Iran, Albania, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. On October 3, the counter for this year stood at 25,330.