Girl clutching teddy bear among migrants rescued crossing English Channel

A child clutching a teddy steps ashore in Dover, Kent, southern England, accompanied by Border Force officers after being rescued from a small boat trying to cross the English Channel. PA

Migrants arrive at Dover on a Royal National Lifeboat Institution vessel, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel. Despite it being midwinter, migrant crossings resumed this week after a period of bad weather led to a pause. Reuters

Migrants clamber aboard a flimsy inflatable dinghy as they prepare to leave Wimereux, near Calais, north France, heading for England. Reuters

A group of people, thought to be migrants, at Dungeness lifeboat station, Kent. AP Photo

More than 26,000 people have made the dangerous journey from France to England in 2021, three times more than in 2020. In November, 27 people were drowned when a migrant boat sunk during the crossing. AP Photo

Migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, by the RNLI. AP Photo

Inflatable boats, believed to have been used by migrants who crossed the English Channel from France, stored near Dover. Reuters

Migrants disembark from an RNLI lifeboat on arrival in Dover, after being picked up at sea. AFP

A group of migrants prepare to launch an overcrowded inflatable dinghy from the French coast, near Calais, heading for England. Reuters

A young girl clutching a teddy bear was among more than 100 people who made the dangerous journey across the English Channel on Thursday and Friday.

Despite it being the middle of winter in western Europe, migrant crossings resumed this week after a period of bad weather led to a pause.

More than 26,000 people have made the perilous journey from France to England in 2021, three times more than in 2020.

It came as French authorities said they had identified all 27 people who died when their boat sank in the Channel last month.

The final identification made was of a 29-year-old Vietnamese man. Most of the victims of the boat accident were Iraqi Kurds, but four Afghan men, three Ethiopians, a Somalian, an Egyptian and an Iranian Kurd also died.

While the majority were men, seven women, including a 16-year-old and a seven-year-old, were among those on-board.

The most deadly incident involving a migrant boat in the Channel led to diplomatic tensions between the UK and France.

French President Emmanuel Macron accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being “not serious” in his approach to stopping the crossings.

Inspectors say migrants are still being held in “very poor” conditions after coming ashore despite assurances by the UK Home Office of “significant improvements”.