Madrid [Spain], July 27: Fifty-four minors swam from Morocco across the Mediterranean to the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta, mostly Moroccans, state Spanish TV channel RTVE reported on Saturday.
Rescuers were in action all night and the following day to save swimmers, the report said, of the sea from Morocco to Ceuta that spans some 300 and 500 metres.
Television images showed some of the migrants being brought to the beach of Ceuta in an inflatable boat.
No fatalities were initially reported. While adults are usually quickly sent back, unaccompanied minors are allowed to stay at least until they are 18.
However, the reception capacities are overwhelmed and the regional government asked the central government in Madrid to bring young people to the mainland. Migrants repeatedly try to reach one of the two Spanish exclaves in North Africa from Morocco, but many risk the journey from Morocco and other African countries seeking a better life and freedom from conflict and hardship. The largest number of migrants reached Ceuta by sea on May 17, 2021, when some 8,000 people swam to Ceuta or walked along the beach and climbed over the border fence.
Source: Qatar Tribune
