Bethany Rielly
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THIRTY-EIGHT people have been rescued from the Channel after their small boat sank off the Kent coast.
The coastguard said it had co-ordinated a search-and-rescue operation on Thursday morning, working with the Royal Navy, Border Force and police.
The BBC reported that the group were picked up after several ended up in the water, with some waiting for almost an hour to be rescued. No deaths have been reported.
The incident has prompted renewed calls for the government to open safe and legal routes.
A Channel Rescue spokesperson told the Morning Star: “Last night’s incident once again demonstrates as we enter the winter months the necessity of the government to provide safe routes for those seeking refuge from northern France to the UK.
“There is absolutely no reason why anyone should be forced to make this dangerous crossing.”
Last November, 27 people, including two children, drowned in the Channel after their rubber dinghy capsized. The tragedy sparked widespread anger against the government’s harsh approach to small boat crossings.
