The men hid in the narrow space between the rudder and the hull of the ship, their legs dangling two feet above the water. In the port of Las Palmas they were welcomed by rescuers, one “illegal” was taken to hospital in serious condition.
Three illegal migrants from Nigeria arrived in the Canary Islands aboard a ship at the wheel of an oil tanker. Speaking of which reported on Facebook Spain’s search and rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo.
“On the afternoon of November 28, 3 stowaways were rescued from the steering wheel of the vessel Alithini II. The vessel left Nigeria and stopped at the port of Las Palmas,” the organization said.
The migrants were taken to the city and provided with medical assistance, rescuers noted.
The ship left Lagos, a port city in southwestern Nigeria, on Nov. 17. The migrants hid for 11 days in a narrow space between the rudder and the hull of the tanker, their feet were half a meter above the water, added Spanish news agency EFE.
“This place is not suitable to accommodate a person. There is a risk of being on the high seas, dying of dehydration or hypothermia,” said Sofia Hernandez, head of the Maritime Rescue Operations Coordination Center in Las Palmas.
The migrants showed symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia. The diary Notesthat one out of three illegal immigrants has been hospitalized in serious conditions.
A Spanish government source says the men will soon be deported back to Nigeria.
The police can allow migrants to stay if they are at risk of inhuman or degrading treatment or if they belong to vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers, minors or have a serious illness, reported El País Edition.
How often do migrants enter Spain by ship?
British newspaper The Guardian writesthat the dangerous journeys of migrants from North Africa to the Canary Islands have increased dramatically since the end of 2019 after the tightening of controls on Mediterranean routes.
In October 2020, four people hid at the helm of a Lagos tanker and hid there for 10 days before being discovered by police in Las Palmas.
Maritime migration to the Canary Islands increased by 51% in the first 5 months of 2022 compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Spanish police.
“Thousands of people die every year on these trips. They are becoming more dangerous due to the use of dinghies or unreliable wooden boats,” the reporters noted.
We recall that on November 14 Great Britain and France signed new agreement to fight illegal immigration over the English Channel. Thanks to the document, the number of patrols will increase by 40%.
In October of this year, off the Greek island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea the boat with the migrants sunk. At least 16 women died then.
