France says boatload of 42 migrants rescued in English Channel

FILE PHOTO: Dinghies used by migrants to try to cross the channel are seen at the French gendarme brigade in Marquise, France, August 20, 2020. Picture taken August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French authorities said on Friday they had rescued a boatload of 42 migrants in the English channel after their boat got into difficulty.

The emergency services were alerted by the migrants, and a rescue vessel picked them up in the sea off the Pas-de-Calais area, according to a French police statement.