UK 'search And Rescue Response' After More Channel Crossings

British authorities said on Wednesday they were coordinating "a search and rescue response" and had taken one person to hospital by helicopter following fresh attempts by migrants to cross the Channel in small boats

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Sep, 2019 ) :British authorities said on Wednesday they were coordinating "a search and rescue response" and had taken one person to hospital by helicopter following fresh attempts by migrants to cross the Channel in small boats.

The operation follows the interception on Tuesday of 86 migrants arriving on such vessels from France -- thought to be one of the largest number of apprehensions in a single day.

"HM Coastguard has been coordinating a search and rescue response to an incident off Kent," a spokeswoman for Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said of the new incidents Wednesday.

"One person has been taken to hospital by the coastguard helicopter," she added, noting the agency had sent lifeboats and rescue teams while Britain's border force had sent a vessel.

The operation was in response to two boats carrying nearly 20 migrants, according to the BBC.

Britain's interior ministry, which is responsible for border enforcement, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes amid a spate of Channel crossings, which have intensified this summer as migrants take advantage of mild weather to try to reach Britain via the world's busiest shipping lane.

Since January, 1,450 migrants have been rescued either by British or French coastguards -- more than double the number who tried to cross in 2018 -- according to official French figures released last month.

Interior minister Priti Patel met her French counterpart in Paris last month, when they agreed "to deploy more resources along the French coast to intercept and stop crossings," her department said.

"We are working closely at all levels with the French authorities to tackle this dangerous and illegal activity," an interior ministry spokeswoman said prior to Wednesday.

The 86 migrants intercepted on Tuesday -- including women and children -- hailed from eight different countries and were detained in five separate incidents, according to the interior ministry.

Some had already made it ashore while others were still at sea when they were detained.