DUNGENESS, England (Reuters) – Two small children were among the dozens of migrants rescued from the English Channel on Tuesday after a summer that has seen record numbers attempt the dangerous journey from France.
This year, hundreds of boats carrying migrants have attempted the dangerous crossing from France to England, often in small, inflatable dinghies that get into difficulties in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
On one day in August, at least 482 migrants crossed the Channel by boat, a record daily number.
Reuters witnesses on Tuesday saw two boats arrive at the headland of Dungeness in Kent, southeast England, one of the closest points to France in Britain. On one, two men were each accompanied by a young child.
The migrants were carried by Royal National Lifeboat Institution vessels to a shingle beach on a clear day, where they were met by police and border force officers who helped carry the children to shore.
In July, the RNLI received a surge of donations in a show of public support after some volunteers received abuse over the rescues.
(Reporting by Will Russell and Peter Nicholls, Editing by Mark Porter)
