Dozens of Migrants Touch Down on Kent Beach After Risky Channel Crossing
About 25 migrants landed on Dungeness Beach in Kent on Monday after making the perilous 21-mile crossing of the English Channel in a single dinghy. The arrival came just hours after Boris Johnson handed control of the UK’s migrant crisis over to the Royal Navy.
Celebrations and Exhaustion on Shingle Shore
Some migrants raised their hands in celebration upon reaching the shore, while others collapsed onto the shingle, exhausted under the 24C sunshine. The small grey dinghy, believed to have left northern France on Thursday, was closely monitored by the RNLI as it neared the Kent coast.
Rising Migrant Crossings Worry Authorities
The boat came ashore around 1pm at Dungeness, roughly 30 miles from Dover. Civil Defence teams responded after the public reported the arrivals. So far this year, around 600 people have made the crossing on 12 boats, marking a sharp rise in Channel crossings in 2022.
“Some raised their hands in apparent celebration after completing the dangerous journey, while others needed support walking ashore,” reports say.
