The French coastguard has rescued 83 people from two small boats in the Channel after they got into difficulty.
The two boats were crossing the Channel on their way to England on Sunday when they encountered problems near Gravelines, on the north coast of France between Dunkirk and Calais.
The coastguard said that 54 people were rescued from one boat, and 29 from the second craft.
They were taken to Calais, where they were met by emergency services, according to the translation of a statement by the Préfecture Maritime de la Manche et de la Mer du Nord, a maritime agency for northern France.
One person received medical attention after being found unwell, the agency added.
Earlier, the UK Ministry of Defence said 26 people crossed the Channel to reach the UK on Saturday. A total of 991 have now reached UK shores since the new year.
Forecasts have estimated that up to 65,000 people could cross from France to the UK this year. This would represent an increase of a third compared with last year.
The Home Office has reportedly recruited an extra 100 staff to help deal with arrivals on the coast in Kent, the county with the closest crossing points from northern France.
