Morocco Investigates Melilla Incident Between Migrant Boat and Spanish Civil Guard

Doha – Moroccan authorities have opened an investigation into an incident that occurred on Sunday in the waters off the coast of Melilla, one of the two Spanish enclaves in North Africa.

A Spanish Civil Guard patrol boat collided with and ran over a small motorboat carrying four migrants attempting to enter Melilla, according to sources close to the investigation who spoke to the EFE news agency.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Independiente, the small boat that was struck by the Civil Guard vessel was registered in Spain, with a Valencia registration number.

It was piloted by two Spanish nationals, the report added, noting that it departed from Melilla on Sunday and entered Moroccan waters near the northern city of Nador.

After the collision, the four migrants aboard the small boat fell into the water. They were rescued by the Moroccan Maritime Gendarmerie and brought to the port in Nador.

One of the rescued individuals was admitted to the hospital in Nador but was released the same day, the sources said.

The Spanish Civil Guard and the Government Delegation in Melilla stated on Monday that no one was injured in the incident, which took place near Horcas Coloradas beach.

They said the patrol boat aborted the entry attempt of the four migrants and attended to them immediately after they fell in the water.

However, a video circulating on social media appears to show the Civil Guard patrol boat chasing and then running over the smaller migrant boat, causing the occupants to fall overboard.

Read also: El País: Morocco’s Coastal Crackdown Reduces Irregular Migration to Spain by 30%

Moroccan authorities have previously noted that the vast majority of attempts to enter Ceuta and Melilla, the two Spanish enclaves in Morocco, by sea are made using boats coming from those cities. The boats pick up migrants in Morocco to bring them back to Spanish territory, the authorities said.

The Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s office will continue its investigation to shed further light on the case and determine the legal implications of the incident.

Attempts by migrants to enter Ceuta and Melilla by both land and sea are a frequent occurrence and source of tension between Spain and Morocco.