Date Published: 21/08/2020
ARCHIVED - 48 irregular migrants intercepted in Cartagena waters on Thursday evening
ARCHIVED ARTICLE Four more pateras were located in the waters near to Monte de las Cenizas, in Cartagena.
Maritime Rescue and the Guardia Civíl intercepted another four small boats (pateras) off the coast of Cartagena on Thursday evening, containing a total of 48 Algerian irregular immigrants on board, according to sources from the Government Delegate’s Office.
This is the fourth interception this week; on Wednesday evening 37 migrants reached Murcia; on Wednesday morning ten out of 30 were detained after a boat landed on El Portús beach at 11am in the morning and at the weekend 130 migrants arrived in ten boats. The interceptions took place after 10 pm, when four boats with 8, 11, 14 and 15 irregular migrants on board, respectively, were sighted southeast of Monte de las Cenizas, in Cartagena.
All of the irregular migrants were male, except one, and are all Algerians.
All are said to be in good health, and have been taken to the Escombreras dock in the port of Cartagena, where PCR tests will be undertaken to determine if there are any positive cases for Covid-19 amongst them. Should this be the case, those with active symptoms will be hospitalised and any of their travelling companions who arrived in the same boat be put into a 14-day quarantine.
There have been several positives amongst those who have arrived earlier in the week.
Background information:
Across the weekend of 24th-26th August more than 500 migrants arrived in dozens of small boats, and at least 200 more reached the coastlines of neighbouring Almería and Alicante at the same time; last weekend 130 more reached Murcia, three of them requiring air rescue from the Monte de las Cenizas in Cartagena. Other boats reached neighbouring regions, the same as in July, the idea of the organised criminal gangs who arrange these migrations being that a large number of boats spaced along the coastline, spreads coastguard resources thin and the chances of being detained are slimmer.
The migrants are not refugees, but are “economic migrants” from Algeria. Over 11,000 economic migrants have made the journey to Spain this year according to the latest Interior Ministry statistics.
Read the article; Irregular migrants escape again as Spain uses diplomatic tools to fight the problem at source” for more information about the way in which Spain is attempting to tackle the ongoing problem of irregular migration.
Images Cruz Roja humanitarian aid. The Escombreras port area where Cruz Roja care for the migrants picked up at sea and intercepted on arrival in order to ensure that Covid tests are undertaken.