Denver – Two Moroccan children were found on the brink of disaster, following their attempt to cross into Spain’s Ceuta by sea on Monday afternoon.
Marsave, a Spanish lifeguard service, reported they found the children in an inflatable toy boat, “paddling with their hands” in an attempt to enter the Spanish enclave. According to reports, the children left on Sunday night from the city of M’diq, located between Tetouan and Fnideq. M’diq lies approximately 16 miles south of Ceuta.
Photos posted on Marsave’s facebook page show rescuers approaching the young Moroccans on jet skis, as they sat stranded at sea. Marsave stated the rescue operation was conducted in coordination with the maritime division of the Spanish Civil Guard. Marsave workers report they were conducting a usual patrol on Monday, when they spotted the boat and decided to come closer for inspection.
As the lifeguards approached, they found the Moroccan children, who told the guards they were at sea since Sunday night, in an attempt to reach Ceuta’s shores. Marsave reported that neither of the children were in danger at the time of the rescue, and the boat was still seaworthy by the time the children were removed and placed in the custody of the Civil Guard.
According to a report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of July 25 2021, there were over 15,000 sea arrivals into Spanish territories. This does not include a large part of migrants attempting to enter Ceuta, due to the Spanish Ministry of Interior’s refusal to release migrant data to the public since late May.
Spain continues to be overwhelmed by irregular migration attempts into its North African enclaves, and incursion attempts are reported nearly every week. Despite Spain’s deployment of military troops to supplement the complement of the Civil Guard and local police operating along the border with Morocco, desperate migrants continue to cross into Ceuta by both land and sea.
