Controls at the French border on the northern Channel coast through the deployment of police, drones, thermal cameras, and Frontex planes – have pushed smugglers to launch their boats dozens of kilometers further south such as in Normandy.
Nearly 50 people, including a pregnant woman, were intercepted and rescued on the beach of Normandy, northern France as they were preparing to board a makeshift boat to enter the UK by crossing the English Channel on Thursday (January 16).
According to a press statement, the group of 46 were spotted around Puys beach, in the coastal commune of Dieppe nearly 200 kilometers from Calais, at around 5:30 in the morning. "A tragedy has been avoided," read the press statement referring to the interception of the boat crossing.
The passengers were transported by bus to a gymnasium where a health assessment was carried out. None of the passengers reportedly needed medical care.
An investigation has reportedly led to the arrest of four people suspected of being human traffickers. Two of the suspects, were reportedly seen unloading a boat and cans of petrol in Puys, a beach located near Dieppe.
The rescue comes days after French maritime authorities rescued 99 migrants in the English Channel on Wednesday (January 15). The Abeille Normandie rescue vessel responded to surveillance and rescue pleas from migrant boats departing from the French coast.
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Longer journeys to avoid police
The coastal town of Dieppe where the 50 people were rescued on Thursday, is located about 200 kilometers south of Calais. In recent years, the increased controls along the coasts around Calais have meant that some smugglers have moved their operations further south, in order to try and get around the controls.
The move further south also means a longer journey at sea, with more time on a dinghy meaning an increased risk of shipwrecks. Speaking to InfoMigrants, June Salomé Bahri of the association Utopia 56 that works with migrants in France said that a journey that took about six to eight hours from Calais to Dover, the port of England, now takes double or triple the time. The longer time crossing exposes passengers to a higher risk of engine failure or their rubber boats bursting, or taking on water.
Other groups have started setting sail from inland waterways that flow into the North Sea and the Channel from the French coasts. According to maritime law, the police no longer have the right to intervene when the boat is already on the water.
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Increase in crossings, deaths
Last year marked the deadliest year for boat crossings through the English Channel. Numbers vary but reports indicate that at least 77 people were known to have died trying to reach the UK from France in unseaworthy boats in 2024. Some groups peg the actual number of deaths to be closer to 90.
Almost 37,000 people crossed the Channel last year, marking a 25 percent increase from 2023.
The English Channel, which lies in northwestern Europe, between the Celtic and North Seas, is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Small boats and inflatable dinghys are no match for its strong winds and currents.
Earlier this month, a 19-year-old Syrian migrant died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to the UK having been reportedly crushed to death in a leaking dinghy. It is the first reported death along the Channel in 2025.