Rescue operation of stricken migrant boat delayed by similar sighting

Time is of the essence after a shipwreck. In the case of the migrant boat that broke in two last Thursday in the Strait of Gibraltar, killing at least 14 people on board, a speedier rescue operation could have saved many lives. But the work of the maritime rescue service and the Civil Guard was hindered by the fact that four hours after a European border patrol aircraft photographed an inflatable boat filled with African immigrants 62 miles south of Granada, a Moroccan ship rescued 60 people in the same area, leading Spanish authorities to think that the occupants of the vessel it was searching for had been taken to safety.

Instead, another, very similar boat was slowly making its way to the peninsula. By the time rescue units realized the mistake and went out to meet this second vessel, 14 passengers had already died. Another 18 who survived were taken to the nearby Moroccan port of Alhucemas to receive medical assistance.

This was at 2.38pm on Thursday. By then, 13 hours had gone by since the Frontex aircraft first reported seeing a vessel in the Moroccan rescue zone. Civil Guard sources say it is still unclear whether this ship was the one found by Morocco, or the second one eventually located by Spanish forces.

Even after Moroccan rescue services informed Spain of their own operation, Spanish maritime rescue services had remained on alert.

Another, very similar boat was slowly making its way to the peninsula

The shipwrecked boat was eventually located by a Spanish rescue aircraft, the Sasemar 101, which threw down an inflatable life raft for the survivors to climb onto. By then, the migrants were 11 miles east of the Moroccan city of Alhucemas, further south than the boat on the Frontex aerial photograph.

The Civil Guard says that the sea currents and the wind were pushing it north, so either it was a different boat or its passengers changed tack and attempted to head back for the Moroccan shore when they realized they were in trouble.

Authorities believe that the Zodiac-type inflatable boat likely broke in two lengthwise because of the excess weight. The survivors, who were hiding in the hold, were ordered to head for the port of Alhucemas, where several ambulances and patrol cars were waiting for them. However, “an order from above,” according to some witnesses, prevented rescuers from taking the wounded migrants off the boat, except for one individual who was taken away by Moroccan authorities for reasons that remain unclear, since rescuers said that he did not look physically any worse than the others.

The rest were taken 80 miles north to the alien detention center in the Spanish port of Motril, in Granada province.

Meanwhile, another 15 migrants were rescued by Spanish services on Saturday and taken to the port of Tarifa, Cádiz province. Seven African immigrants were found aboard one boat nine miles southwest of the city at 11.47am. Just a few minutes later, eight other people were located on a second boat. Also on Saturday, the last of the 14 immigrants who died at sea while trying to reach Spain were buried at the cemetery of Motril. The deceased were two women around 25 years of age and 12 men between 16 and 30 years old.

As for the 18 survivors, only two were carrying identifying documents from their countries of origin, Togo and Guinea. The adults were sent to a migrant center in Tarifa, while a 15-year-old girl was placed in the care of the Andalusian social services and a pregnant woman taken to hospital for a check-up, then to a shelter run by the Red Cross. The health personnel who treated the women thought they might have been victims of human trafficking rings in Morocco.

Since last Wednesday, at least nine boats filled with would-be migrants have left North Africa for Spain, leaving a trail of 23 deaths.