At least thirty boats with several hundred people had reached the coasts of Almería, Murcia and Alicante from Friday until Monday afternoon. The good weather and calm seas throughout the weekend have led to an extraordinary traffic of immigrants from the Algerian coast. Maritime Rescue has intervened on the high seas in several cases, but some of the vessels have been able to make landfall at different points on the coast. Among those rescued, North African and sub-Saharan Africans, there were women -some pregnant- several children and even a year and a half baby.
According to sources from the Red Cross, an organization in charge of offering first aid to immigrants once they are disembarked in the respective ports, the general condition of those rescued is good, except for some injured by burns who have been transferred to a health center.
There have been some arrests among the skippers of the boats, who charge the migrants for making this risky and illegal journey.
In Almería, the Red Cross has attended more than 250 people since last Friday morning. On 26 occasions, humanitarian teams have been activated to care for people who have been transferred to port, 17 of them between Sunday and Monday.
On the Murcia coast, eight boats were counted on Sunday, which must be added to the seven arrivals between Friday and Saturday. In total, there are 15 boats carrying 161 people that have been intercepted arriving at the coast of the Region taking advantage of the good weather conditions.
The first were located in Cabo Cope and Calabardina. Subsequently, two other vessels reached the Murcian coast at Cabo Tiñoso and Calblanque (Cartagena).
To these four we must add another three boats that were intercepted and transferred to the port of Santa Lucía de Cartagena. Its occupants were transferred to the Temporary Attention Center for Foreigners in the port city. The bosses were arrested as alleged perpetrators of the crime of human trafficking.
In Alicante, at dawn and on Monday morning, five more boats were located, carrying an 18-month-old baby, five children and 48 adults.
The boats were intercepted at points as diverse as l'Albir beach, in l'Alfàs del Pi, next to the Santa Pola lighthouse, (this one is empty), another 40 miles from the coast, one 2 miles from Benidorm, with 13 passengers from Algeria and one more in the Moraig cove in Poble Nou de Benitatxell, with 17 people on board, including two children aged 8 and 10.
