Record 230 Migrants Cross Channel in Single Small Boat

A record 230 migrants, including more than 20 children, crammed into a single small boat to cross the English Channel to Britain, France's lifeboat service and UK media reported Monday. The number shatters the previous record for a single vessel, set last month when 165 people made the crossing.

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a new and sad record for the number of people crammed onto these flimsy boats.

The migrants were counted aboard the rubber dinghy as it departed the northeastern French coast late Sunday, according to the SNSM lifeboat service. The service described the situation as "a new and sad record for the number of people crammed onto these flimsy boats."

French lifeboats escorted the dinghy into British waters before handing over to British authorities. Jean-Marc Lamblin, the SNSM's local branch director, noted that the rubber dinghy was approximately 15 meters (49 feet) long. He observed a trend of increasingly larger dinghies carrying more people, stating, "For the past three months, we've been seeing more and more" of these vessels. "We recently passed the record of 150 people; we didn't think there could be more, but now there really are no limits anymore."

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For the past three months, we've been seeing more and more of these 15-metre dinghies. We recently passed the record of 150 people; we didn't think there could be more, but now there really are no limits anymore.

The UK interior ministry condemned the "reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings." A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the images of babies being placed in "unseaworthy craft" as "shocking" and indicative of "the ruthless smuggling gangs that are prepared to risk human lives for profit."

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the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings.

Britain has been struggling to curb the perilous crossings, which have seen tens of thousands of migrants arrive annually in recent years. The current Labour government has pledged to "smash the gangs" and has pursued increased cooperation with France, including a deal signed in April to pay Paris up to EUR766 million to bolster French law enforcement. While the UK government claims its strategy is reducing arrivals, recent weeks have seen a spike, with a daily record of 752 crossings on July 29.

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shocking to see appalling images ... of young babies being put into these unseaworthy craft. They show the reality behind the ruthless smuggling gangs that are prepared to risk human lives for profit.