Inclement weather and freezing winter temperatures haven't prevented migrants from attempting the journey to reach the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco. Sea rescues have continued unabated, and many migrants have died attempting to reach the coasts.
Despite poor weather and freezing winter temperatures, migrants continue to make the dangerous sea journey towards the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco. A total of 81 migrants who were travelling on three boats have been rescued off the coasts of Ceuta and Melilla in the past 48 hours.
Rescues off coasts of Melilla and Ceuta
A Spanish Guardia Civil patrol boat rescued 31 Sub-Saharan migrants who were trying to reach the northern coast of Melilla aboard a rubber dinghy. Among them were two women and two children, all of whom fell into the water and nearly drowned after the inflatable boat they were travelling on was intentionally pierced prior to the arrival of the Spanish agents, Melilla government sources said. The rubber boat was spotted by border patrol agents off of Horcas Coloradas, a town in the city's north. The rescued migrants were assisted by Red Cross volunteers, while the two women with the children were taken to hospital. Another 11 Sub-Saharan migrants were rescued at sunrise on Tuesday from a boat off the coast of Bebzú, in the other Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
The boat, which had a broken engine, was intercepted near Calamocarro by a Spanish Guardia Civil patrol boat and towed to Ceuta. After disembarking, the migrants were assisted by a Red Cross emergency team and were all found to be in good health, despite the low temperature
.On Sunday evening, another 39 Sub-Saharan migrants, including four women and a child, were rescued and taken to the Chafarinas Islands, a group of three small Spanish islands off the Moroccan coast. They were rescued by local military personnel and were subsequently transferred to the temporary stay centre for migrants in Melilla, where they will await repatriation to their countries of origin.
Arrivals increasing, despite tragedy of deaths at sea
Last Saturday Melilla was once again the site of a new tragedy, when about twenty bodies were recovered at sea about five miles off the coast. The bodies were of migrants who had drowned when their boat shipwrecked during their attempt to reach the coast.The landings in recent days show how the migrant route towards Melilla is still one of the most active in the Western Mediterranean, following an increase last year. In 2017, a total of 681 migrants reached the city on 29 boats, compared to just 70 arrivals in 2016, according to Spanish Interior Ministry figures.
Another 4,184 undocumented migrants 'sin papeles' managed to reach the Spanish enclave by land in 2017, compared to 3,818 in 2016. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Spain this year has the second-highest number of migrant arrivals in Europe, at 1,279 total. Italy is the highest, with 4,256 arrivals.