More than 60 migrants arrived by speedboat on a beach near Spain's La Manga resort Wednesday, prompting tourists to pack up their belongings and leave as the group came ashore, according to video of the incident.
The migrants jumped from the high-speed vessel into the Mediterranean before swimming toward Cala del Barco, a secluded beach near the town of Atamaría in Murcia. The migrants came ashore and walked past sunbathers toward the nearby town. Some were seen calling police. The two men operating the vessel turned around and headed back out to sea before many of the migrants had reached the beach, reports the Telegraph.
Spain's Civil Guard later said authorities arrested 45 men, two women, and 15 boys. The Red Cross said the migrants were healthy before they were transferred to Spain's National Police, which handles migration matters.
Most are expected to be returned to their countries of origin, while those who seek asylum will go through the process of having their claims evaluated.
The incident drew criticism from local officials. Noelia Arroyo, the mayor of nearby Cartagena, said the situation should not be accepted as normal. “This cannot be normalized.” She questioned how the country's maritime border controls were operating after the migrants were able to reach the cove in full view of tourists.
Francisco Bernabé, a conservative senator from nearby La Unión, also questioned why authorities had not detected the vessel before it reached shore.
“Dozens of illegal migrants today at La Manga cove. Why was it not possible to detect a vessel of those dimensions with all radars before? Are they broken? Do they have them turned off? Or are they working and they simply ignore them?”
The arrival came as Spanish authorities continue to investigate smuggling networks operating between North Africa and the Spanish mainland. Earlier this month, Europol announced 78 arrests in Spain and Algeria following an operation targeting a network accused of smuggling drugs, migrants, and weapons. Spanish President Pedro Sanchez offered mass amnesty to migrants in the country.
Police also told The Telegraph that two suspected traffickers were arrested this week for allegedly transporting 12 migrants from Ceuta across the Mediterranean to mainland Spain in speedboats.
A Spanish police spokesman said: “Two people were detained this week for transporting almost a dozen migrants from Ceuta to the Spanish mainland.”
The migrants jumped from the high-speed vessel into the Mediterranean before swimming toward Cala del Barco, a secluded beach near the town of Atamaría in Murcia. The migrants came ashore and walked past sunbathers toward the nearby town. Some were seen calling police. The two men operating the vessel turned around and headed back out to sea before many of the migrants had reached the beach, reports the Telegraph.
Spain's Civil Guard later said authorities arrested 45 men, two women, and 15 boys. The Red Cross said the migrants were healthy before they were transferred to Spain's National Police, which handles migration matters.
Most are expected to be returned to their countries of origin, while those who seek asylum will go through the process of having their claims evaluated.
The incident drew criticism from local officials. Noelia Arroyo, the mayor of nearby Cartagena, said the situation should not be accepted as normal. “This cannot be normalized.” She questioned how the country's maritime border controls were operating after the migrants were able to reach the cove in full view of tourists.
Francisco Bernabé, a conservative senator from nearby La Unión, also questioned why authorities had not detected the vessel before it reached shore.
“Dozens of illegal migrants today at La Manga cove. Why was it not possible to detect a vessel of those dimensions with all radars before? Are they broken? Do they have them turned off? Or are they working and they simply ignore them?”
The arrival came as Spanish authorities continue to investigate smuggling networks operating between North Africa and the Spanish mainland. Earlier this month, Europol announced 78 arrests in Spain and Algeria following an operation targeting a network accused of smuggling drugs, migrants, and weapons. Spanish President Pedro Sanchez offered mass amnesty to migrants in the country.
Police also told The Telegraph that two suspected traffickers were arrested this week for allegedly transporting 12 migrants from Ceuta across the Mediterranean to mainland Spain in speedboats.
A Spanish police spokesman said: “Two people were detained this week for transporting almost a dozen migrants from Ceuta to the Spanish mainland.”
