Around 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday to England in rickety boats, the British Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.
According to official figures, 960 people made the perilous crossing on 20 ships, bringing the number of crossings since the beginning of the year to more than 26,000.
On Friday, 221 people arrived in England after crossing the English Channel, one of the world’s busiest straits, which separates the UK from mainland Europe.
The number of crossings is set to surpass the previous record of 28,500 arrivals on British soil in 2021. These crossings have increased since 2018 as the French port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel – the Eurotunnel – have become increasingly blocked.
A recent British parliamentary report estimated the total could reach 60,000 this year. Despite repeated promises by the British Conservative government, after Brexit, it considers this problem a priority and provides millions of pounds to France, helping to strengthen the surveillance of its coasts, as well as take strict measures to welcome migrants.
vg/as/sag/mb/aa
© Agence France-Presse
