RNLI SAVED 108 IN CHANNEL LAST YEAR – RNLI releases new figures to highlight crews’ lifesaving impact in the Channel
For the first time, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has published figures showing that its volunteer crews were launched 290 times in 2022 to respond to migrant crossings in the English Channel, accounting for 3% of all lifeboat launches that year.
According to the RNLI, these missions directly saved 108 lives. Chief Executive Mark Dowie praised crews for their bravery, stating that more lives would have been lost without their efforts.
The RNLI, which operates under HM Coastguard’s direction, reaffirms its 200-year mission to save lives at sea, regardless of circumstance or nationality.
To tackle the complexity of mass rescues, the charity has developed innovative new equipment, including inflatable horseshoe rings, translation cards, and a prototype called “sea stairs” that speeds up the recovery of multiple people from the water. Head of Lifeboats Simon Ling said the sea stairs could be a game-changer for large-scale rescue scenarios both in the Channel and worldwide.
