Spainās Civil Guard has arrested the skipper of a small boat intercepted in waters off La Unión, in the Murcia region, with seven migrants on board from North Africa. The arrest follows an operation after officers detected a suspicious vessel heading towards the beach at El Lastre in PortmĆ”n.
All seven people were reported to be in good health when they reached the shore. They were taken to Red Cross facilities to receive medical checks and assistance, according to the Civil Guard.
Investigators later established that one of the passengers, a forty-year-old man, was acting as the skipper of the boat. He has been detained on suspicion of facilitating irregular immigration and committing offences against the rights of foreign nationals.
A technical inspection by the Civil Guardās Maritime Service found that the vessel did not meet minimum safety requirements, highlighting the danger faced by those on board during the crossing.
This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor before publication.