Dozens of migrants trying to cross the English Channel to the United Kingdom with the help of smugglers were stopped by French police on a beach south of Boulogne in France.
According to foreign media, smugglers were using inflatable boats to collect people from different parts of the coast.
Two large groups of migrants, many wearing life jackets, emerged from nearby dunes and ran out to sea to board the boat. In total, it is estimated that there were between 80 and 100 people on the beach. The first smugglers' boat, which passed about 100 meters from the shore, was already full and did not stop to pick up more people. A second boat arrived a little later, almost empty, followed by a French coast guard boat, which was further out to sea.
The migrants, hand in hand, headed for the boat under the direction of a man coordinating the operation. As the boat turned back near the shore, dozens of people jumped into the water, trying to climb aboard. At first, the police refused to intervene and stood on the shore, watching. An officer stressed to the BBC that they were forbidden from entering the water unless they were rescuing people. But the situation spiraled out of control when the boat, full of men, women and children, rocked dangerously and the engine broke down.
One of the officers told his colleagues to get into the water, as those on the boat were now in danger. They pulled out their heavy equipment and used knives to rip the boat apart, while the smugglers tried to start the engine. Amidst shouts of protest, the passengers reached the shore without injury.
A short time later, officers pulled the sunken boat ashore. The migrants gathered what they had left behind on the beach and began moving inland, returning to the areas further north, writes A2 CNN.
French authorities stressed that the rules remain the same and that their tactics against illegal crossing attempts have not changed, despite pressure from Britain for stricter measures.
The British Prime Minister's spokesman called today's event a "significant moment" and said the British government welcomed the police's action to intervene.
(A2 Televizion)
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