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About fifty migrants boarded a boat to reach the English coast, Tuesday July 18, on the beach of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais). A departure which took place under the eyes of the traders and holidaymakers who were present on the beach.
On the beach of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais), Tuesday July 18 in the morning, about fifty migrants waited, the water at the waist, to board a zodiac and try to reach England, under the eyes of vacationers and traders who were present on the beach. The scene only lasted about ten minutes. The police on the spot did not prevent the migrants from boarding.
“They were really, really close”
Olivier Ternisianco-president of Osmose 62, an association that helps migrants, regularly scans the waters of the English Channel. Departures of migrants, he has often seen them, but that of Tuesday remains exceptional. “They were really very close to the beach whereas usually they are a bit outside“, he explains. About forty kilometers only separates Boulogne-sur-Mer off the English coast. According to the association, the boat would have arrived in British waters. For the past two days, patrols have been reinforced along the entire coast, in order to fight against attempts at illegal crossings. An exceptional situation for tourists on site. On Tuesday, six other boats attempted to reach England.