Police in France used rubber bullets to prevent migrants trying to illegally travel across the English Channel to the UK, an investigation has found.
The first known case of gun deployment by authorities against illegal migrants is now being reviewed by French national police chiefs.
It comes as growing numbers of boats depart the French side of the strait under the cover of darkness in desperate attempts to reach Britain.
The shooting took place at Dunkirk as eight Iranian Kurds hauled a dinghy towards the water.
But after French police intercepted the group and fired on them with rubber bullets, two of the Iranian nationals were transported to hospital, one suffering from a fractured leg and the other a broken hand.
Other members of the group have claimed that police were “laughing at their injuries” following the incident.
Juanro Rasuli, 24, one of the wounded duo, refused to speak to the media out of fear of reprisal.
Another migrant who was part of the group told the Daily Mail newspaper: “There were eight of us holding the boat near the beach. We were getting ready to launch it for 40 people who wanted to cross to your country.
“Then three or four police arrived in one vehicle. One policeman shot Rasuli at point-blank range. I can’t remember how many times they fired the rubber bullets.
“When the police saw us, they shouted ‘stop.’ We stopped and they still shot us. Then we ran away as best we could.”
The issue of migrant crossings has been a central focus of UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has threatened to withdraw £54 million ($73 million) in funding for French beach patrols if the number of migrants reaching Britain is not cut.
So far in 2021, more than 17,000 migrants have reached the UK after crossing the Channel.
Rubber bullets, which are filled with metal and commonly used for riot control purposes, are potentially lethal and have caused blindness and permanent physical damage.
Sources in France have argued that beach patrols resort to “proportionate” force and would only deploy rubber bullets if placed in a “seriously hostile situation.”