French authorities reported rescuing 107 migrants attempting to cross the English Channel from France to England on Wednesday, according to France 24.
A total of 12 rescue operations took place along northern France’s coast on Christmas Day, including efforts to assist a boat with engine trouble.
The authorities helped 30 migrants in the morning off a boat near Dunkirk. British authorities arrested other passengers as they reached British waters.
Later in the day, authorities spotted another boat with engine failure near Dunkirk, rescuing all 51 passengers on board. They also saved 26 individuals from a boat in distress near Calais.
“The English Channel is a particularly dangerous area, especially during winter, for unstable and overloaded boats,” the maritime authorities warned in a statement.
This year has been the deadliest on record for Channel crossings, with at least 73 migrants dead, according to Pas-de-Calais authorities. Tens of thousands of others have successfully reached Britain, where the government has pledged to intensify efforts against people-smuggling networks.
In November, Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer highlighted the need for stronger international cooperation to combat smuggling gangs, describing them as a “global security threat on a par with terrorism.”