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Rafters thought they had made it to France

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LITTLEHAMPTON, England, May 2 (UPI) -- Rescuers said three men in an inflatable raft thought they had made it from England to France when they were rescued only 2 miles from where they departed.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said the men entered the English Channel in Littlehampton, England, Saturday night without warm clothes or life jackets and were spotted waving for help by a birdwatcher the following morning, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

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The men, whose names were not released, believed they had made it to France in their 7-foot raft and greeted rescuers by saying "Bonjour."

The RNLI said the men were treated for hypothermia and all made complete recoveries.

"These three gents were extremely fortunate to be seen by a vigilant member of the public and so lucky to have survived overnight with no protection and no life jackets," said Nick White, lifeboat operations manager for RNLI. "It would have been so easy for the dinghy to have been capsized by the smallest of waves."

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