40 refugees, including several Iranians, rescued from English Channel
Around 40 migrants were rescued in the English Channel on Christmas Day. British officials said they included Iranians. Dozens of Iranian migrants have reached British shores through the channel in recent months.
British and French officials said they rescued a total of 40 migrants, including several children, in separate operations in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The migrants were on five boats and were from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, according to British officials.
Eight of the migrants, including two children, were rescued by French naval officers after their boat's engine broke down 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Calais. France has handed them over to Britain.
All the rescued asylum seekers were handed over to the Immigration Department after initial medical treatment, according to British officials. The children were also handed over to youth protection agencies.
Thousands of refugees have tried to reach Britain through France in recent years. Two years ago, French authorities closed a refugee camp in the port of Calais known as “the Jungle,” which was home to at least 6,000 refugees. Since then, France has tried to prevent the formation of small refugee camps.
In the past few months, several asylum seekers who were said to be Iranian nationals have been rescued by British forces in the English Channel. According to Reuters, about 100 asylum seekers, most of whom declared their nationality as Iranian, made their way to British shores via the English Channel in November this year.
The English Channel is located in northern France and southern England and is one of Britain's busiest shipping routes.
Source: DW
