According to official government statistics, about 46,000 migrants crossed the English Channel by small boat in 2022, with 1,295 of them landing in a single day.
This year, a total of 45,728 asylum seekers traversed the treacherous 21-mile Dover Strait in 1,104 boats, or an average of 41 people per vessel.
In August, 8,641 migrants arrived in Britain via inflatable dinghy or other small craft, the most ever in a single month.
And the busiest day occurred on August 22, when 1,295 migrants entered the United Kingdom in a single day.
This year, a total of 45,728 asylum seekers traversed the 21-mile Dover Strait in 1,104 boats, or an average of 41 individuals per vessel (file image)
On the morning of December 14, a boat carrying 43 migrants sank in the English Channel, killing four persons.
At 3 a.m., British and French officials initiated an international rescue mission when the crew of a British fishing vessel reported hearing calls for assistance emanating from the ocean.
The fisherman, upon spotting a deflated dinghy and a number of individuals in the freezing waters, frantically attempted to assist the surviving on board their trawler.
Two asylum seekers were taken to the hospital after enduring cold conditions in the water, but despite the efforts of officials, four unidentified individuals perished in the horrific tragedy.
Kent Police continues their investigation to identify the migrants and their relatives. They were likely from Afghanistan and Senegal.
Additionally, a criminal investigation has been begun into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The number of migrants crossing the border in 2022 has exceeded the previous year’s total of 28,526 and the previous year’s total of 8,410.
The latest asylum seekers to come this year arrived on December 25, when two boats carrying 90 individuals were apprehended by British officials off the coast of Dover, Kent.
Due to high winds and harsh conditions in the Channel, no further migrant crossings are likely for the remainder of 2022.
This month (JAN), the Ministry of Defense is scheduled to return responsibility for small boat crossings to the Home Office, having taken over the function on April 14.
This will result in the withdrawal of the Royal Navy from the Channel and the hiring of subcontractors to assist Border Force agents with intercepting and processing migrants.
»In 2022, more than 45,700 migrants crossed the Channel by tiny boat, setting a new record«