Date Published: 19/04/2021
ARCHIVED - 23 illegal migrants intercepted off Andalusian coasts at the weekend
The African migrants were taken to the ports in Almería, Algeciras and Motril after being intercepted out at sea.
A total of 23 illegal migrants reached Andalusia over the weekend after setting out from Africa on three ‘pateras’ (migrant boats).
The Maritime Rescue services were alerted on Saturday that an inflatable vessel had set sail from Tangiers with five men on board rowing, and a passing boat spotted the group at 11.40 am. By the time a lifeboat reached them, the craft had deflated and the men were in the water. Luckily, they appeared to be unharmed and were taken to Algeciras port.
A second group of five men were also sent to Red Cross volunteers in Motril (Granada) at 2.45 am on Sunday after being intercepted by the Guardia Civil, which sent out searches when the presence of their patera was reported to emergency services on Saturday afternoon. All five were adults and appeared to be in good health.
The last and largest group consisted of 11 men, one woman and one boy, who were intercepted in the Alboran sea and escorted by the National Police to Almeria port, where they arrived at about 10 am on Sunday.
An additional 33 irregular migrants were detected in the Mar de Alborán during the night on Monday (April 19) and were taken to Motríl in the early hours of Tuesday morning. All 33 men on board were of Moroccan origin.
During the first quarter of the year the number of irregular migrants reaching Spanish shores increased by 15.6 per cent when compared to the same period last year; the total for the first quarter of the year was 6,496.
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