25 people rescued off the coast of Dunkirk

25 people were rescued off the coast of Dunkirk, in the North, on the night of Wednesday June 5 to Thursday June 6, by the CROSS Griz-Nez (Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center), indicates the Manche maritime prefecture and the North Sea, Friday June 7, in a press release.

Early Thursday morning, the maritime gendarmerie spotted a migrant boat “at the stop in front of the beach, near the port of Dunkirk”, the authorities explain. A person on board the boat requests assistance because the engine is broken, according to the prefecture. Before the engine restarts, the maritime gendarmerie recovers 25 people. “The other people on board the migrant boat refuse the assistance offered”says the prefecture. “Given the risks of falling into the sea or injuries incurred by people in the event of forced intervention, the choice is made to let them continue on their way”she continues.

“The maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea warns anyone who plans to cross the Channel about the risks involved”, it is written in the press release. This sector is one of the busiest maritime areas in the world, with “more than 600 commercial ships transit there per day” and weather conditions “often difficult”.