A migrant dinghy evades the grasp of French police

A dinghy with a group of migrants on board leaves the coast of northern France near Wimereux to reach Britain, September 13, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

WIMEREUX, France (Reuters) - The police unit had staked out a stretch of coast in northern France before dawn only to see a group of migrants hundreds of metres away then emerge from behind the towering sand dunes, carrying an inflatable dinghy down to the sea's edge.

By the time the officers had reached their launching zone, delayed somewhat by a barrage of projectiles, the migrants had scrambled aboard the dinghy and set course for England.