Migrants from Calais: French rescuers were unable to help the boat which sank in the crossing. There is growing evidence that French rescue services failed to intervene adequately to rescue a migrant boat that sank in the English Channel last November with at least 33 people on board. Only two of the migrant passengers survived the disaster. Transcripts of emergency calls made to the French coastguard, seen by the BBC, suggest desperate passengers were repeatedly told to call UK emergency services, despite being in French waters when they first called for help.