Three underage boys have been arrested by the National Police this Wednesday in Palma de Mallorca accused of an alleged crime of favoring irregular immigration. The minors were supposedly responsible for skippering a boat in which 15 migrants were traveling and which was rescued days later adrift off the coast of Mallorca after suffering a maritime storm. One of the crew members was found dead on the boat, two of them decided to jump into the sea in the middle of the storm and are still missing, while the remaining twelve have been rescued and treated by the Red Cross.
The boat left the port of Dellys, in Algeria, on the night of August 25, according to the Police. The occupants affirm that the motor of the boat broke down in the middle of the journey and the boat was hit by the storm that hit the area around the islands on Sunday, August 27. The islands were under an orange warning for hurricane force winds, thunderstorms, possible hail and possible tornadoes.
The storm left the boat adrift, without water or fuel. This circumstance led two of the occupants to jump into the sea believing that it was better to swim than to stay in the boat, according to the police interpretation. The National Police has managed to find out the identity of these two people, but they are still missing to date. Another of the migrants who was traveling on the boat was diabetic and, after running out of insulin, was found dead inside the boat at the time of the rescue.
The boat was rescued on August 31, four days after the storm. The migrants were disembarked in the port of Portocolom, in the east of the island, and were initially helped by the Red Cross. After an investigation, the Provincial Immigration and Border Brigade discovered that those responsible for skippering the boat were three minors and that, apparently, they were the only ones with knowledge of navigation. They are accused of an alleged crime of promoting illegal immigration with serious risk to people’s lives.
So far this year, a total of 36 boats have been intercepted in the Balearic Islands and 21 skippers accused of favoring irregular immigration have been arrested. The Security Forces and Bodies assure that an increase in the number of minors driving this type of vessel has also been detected, most of which arrive on the islands from Algerian ports.
What affects the most is what happens closer. To not miss anything, subscribe.
subscribe
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
#minors #arrested #skippering #boat #reached #Mallorca #deceased #board