Desperate times call for desperate measures and this one should make the Guinness book of records. Twelve Migrants braved the dangers and cold of the English Channel by sailing a fishing boat into Britain across the channel.
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Twelve migrants who had been denied land access into Britain stole a fishing boat in France and sailed it down the English Coast into Britain in what authorities say is an unprecedented feat.
According to a spokesperson for maritime authorities in Northern France Ingrid Parrot;
“French agents on the French side of the channel alerted their British counterparts on the other side after sighting a boat that was taking a “bizarre” route between 9.30pm and 12:00am on Monday.”
French officials were able to track the owner of the vessel which they identified as a twelve metre long boat stolen from the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
British Border Force agents were able to intercept the brave migrants within British territory around 1am after they had crossed the Channel.
According to Parrot, this feat was an “unprecedented method,” because previous crossings had been attempted using rafts or small sailboats unfit for Channel crossings.
While the British coastguard confirmed it had indeed assisted the Border Force, they refused to confirm further details of the incident as well as the identities and nationalities of the migrants.
French authorities say they intercepted migrants in the English Channel 23 times in 2016 and 12 times in 2017, adding that 23 operations had been launched this year to either rescue migrants from the English Channel or stop vessels from crossing.
Many of the African and Asian migrants who travel to France in the hope of reaching Britain continue to attempt to stow away on trucks crossing the Channel at Calais and other ports.