EST 2005
20th - 26th October 2017
Exodus goes on THE wave of sub-Saharan immigrants crossing the Alboran Sea shows no sign of slowing. It comes after Almeria’s Maritime Rescue Service (SM) rescued 98 people in a single day. The Helimer 211 helicopter alerted crew on the Guardamar Polimnia vessel to the presence of a dinghy around 81 miles offshore with 34 adults, including three women, on board. All were brought safely to Spain despite the small boat taking on water and starting to sink. Later the same day, the Salvamar Hamal craft intercepted two dinghies with 64 migrants, including a heavily pregnant
ALL ABOARD: Some of the immigrants are brought ashore. woman and a 10-yearold girl, around 48 miles south of Motril in Granada. The search for a fourth dinghy carrying 47 people continues after Spanish authorities received a tip-off from Tensaman in
Morocco, with the SM’s SAR Mastelero boat deployed alongside a patrol vessel from Frontex, the European border management agency, flying a Latvian flag. A Spanish Air Force jet was also called up to aid
in the hunt after weather conditions worsened. Almost 500 African immigrants have been rescued of f the coast of Spain since last Saturday, with most heading for Murcia, Granada and Cadiz.
Car thieves caught
TWO men have been arrested by police in Vera after allegedly committing several robberies on cars in the area. The arrests occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, October 18 and the suspects were allegedly found with several stolen items in their car, in-
cluding sunglasses and clocks. The young Moroccans were arrested after police reportedly received a tip off at the end of September to observe two people. One of the men attempted to flee the arrest but was stopped after a short pursuit.