Spain Rescues Nearly 500 Migrants At Sea In A Single Day

A migrant reacts upon arrival at the harbour of Tarifa on July 24, 2018, after an inflatable boat carrying 135 migrants was rescued by the Spanish coast guard in the Mediterranean.  AFP Photo / Jorge Guerrero 

Spanish rescue services said Tuesday they had plucked nearly 500 migrants from the Mediterranean in a single day who were trying to reach the country's coast.

A total of 484 people in 30 makeshift vessels have been picked up by the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency, according to a tweet on the agency’s handle.

The makeshift vessels are located in the Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran Sea, which separate Spain from Morocco.

According to a count by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), some 18,653 migrants reached Spanish shores between the beginning of the year and July 18.

They are mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, with Guinea, Mali and Mauritania, as well as Morocco, the notable countries.

At least 294 migrants have died in their attempts to reach Spain this year, out of a total of 1,489 who died in the Mediterranean, according to IOM.





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