Dozens of migrants seeking to cross the English Channel to Britain caused extraordinary scenes in front of holidaymakers at a seaside resort in northern France.
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The incident took place at Hardelot-Plage, around 40 kilometres south of Calais. About 50 migrants wearing life jackets ran into the sea as soon as they spotted an inflatable boat approximately 100 metres from the shoreline.
The group also included women with young children. French police tried to stop the departure, intervening with boats and watercraft, but after several attempts, the inflatable boat’s operator managed to head out into the English Channel with some of the migrants on board.
The remaining migrants stayed on the shore as tourists watched the entire situation unfold at close range. Some holidaymakers approached the migrant children left on the beach and offered them food and drinks.
According to the authorities, incidents of this kind are becoming increasingly frequent in this part of the coastline. In just one day last week, around 700 migrants managed to cross to Britain from Hardelot-Plage and the surrounding beaches.
Increased police checks in the area near Calais have pushed traffickers to move their operations further south, using long beaches where intervention by law enforcement is more difficult.
France and Britain have reached a new agreement worth around £660 million, which provides for increased patrols along the French coast. However, the authorities face legal obstacles when attempting to intervene against inflatable boats once many people have boarded them.
Migrants who take this route say that wars, insecurity and a lack of prospects are the reasons forcing them to leave their countries.
One of them, Sara from Eritrea, said she had tried to cross to Britain together with her 15-year-old daughter. She said that families in her country live constantly amid fear and insecurity.
