LILLE, France, March 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - French police said Friday that 168 migrants tried to cross the Channel in small boats to get to Britain the previous night but ended up having to be rescued in four different operations.

Three of the people were injured and taken to hospital in the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, the police said in a statement.

The rescue operations took place in the Channel off Dunkirk and the Pas-de-Calais region, they said.

Weather conditions are currently favourable for small-boat crossings of the Channel, with warmer weather and wind coming from the south.

But the busy maritime passage is risky for such small craft, which are often overcrowded.

Two migrants died this week in the same area, raising to eight the death toll for such crossings since the beginning of the year.