(AFP) Some 200 migrants cast shadows in the faint early sunshine across the dunes of Gravelines beach in northern France, anticipating a police chase as they attempt to cross the waters before them to England.
At least 7,610 people have been detected in small boats off Britain’s coast so far this year, according to UK government figures, amid a political push to stop the flow.
For three weeks a “strong northeast wind” has halted Channel crossings, along with the activity of smugglers who negotiate the voyage, according to a French police source, who asked not [to] be named. The fragile boats, overloaded with migrants, can’t withstand the strong swells and currents.
