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    85 migrants rescued in Channel: French authorities

    LILLE (AFP) – The French navy rescued 85 migrants trying to cross the Channel from France to England, maritime authorities said, the latest in a deadly series of dangerous crossings.

    One of “numerous” migrant boats that set out to sea called for help after hitting a sandbank off the Pas-de-Calais region, France’s Channel and North Sea maritime prefecture said in a statement.

    A navy tugboat saved 80 passengers from that boat and five more from a second migrant vessel at another location, it said.

    The migrants were brought back to land at Boulogne-sur-Mer and attended to by emergency services and border police.

    More than 70 migrants have died trying to cross the Channel to Britain this year, according to the Pas-de-Calais authorities.

    Tens of thousands more have reached Britain, whose government has vowed to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.

    In Germany, police carried out pre-dawn raids targeting an alleged Syrian and Iraqi-Kurdish criminal network accused of smuggling migrants by boat.

    Life jackets, buoys and a deflated inflatable boat are seen after a failed attempt by migrants to cross the English Channel. PHOTO: AFP
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