36 migrants rescued in English Channel

French rescuers plucked three dozen migrants from the English Channel on Wednesday, bringing to 125 the number picked up since the weekend while trying to make their way to Britain, officials said.

The 36 migrants were on three separate boats that ran into trouble off the coast of Calais in northern France late Tuesday and called the coast guard for help, regional maritime authorities said in a statement. They were rescued in three operations early Wednesday.

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Since the end of 2018, attempts by migrants from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia to make the dangerous crossing via the cold, choppy waters of the Channel have increased markedly, according to official data.

Last year, 2,758 migrants were rescued while trying to make the crossing, four times more than in 2018, according to French officials.