Dozens of migrants were caught swimming through a storm to reach a Spanish territory on the African continent.
Around 30 migrants, all of Moroccan origin, swam into Ceuta in the early hours of March 26.
The group, including 16 and 17-year-olds as well as adults aged between 20 and 40, reached the Spanish enclave as rain and wind battered the area.
The migrants reached Ceuta through Benzu’s northern breakwater, which borders the narrow stretch that separates the coasts of Spain and Morocco.
The Spanish Guardia Civil sent out land and maritime units to intervene in the wake of the arrivals.
The Red Cross also sprung to action to support the group reaching the Spanish shores. Some of the migrants were bruised and hit the rocks, local publication El Faro wrote.
This isn’t the first time Moroccan nationals have tried to reach the Spanish territory in Africa by swimming.
In recent days, the Guardia Civil has tried to locate a 17-year-old boy called Yusef who, according to his friend Abdulà, was lost at sea in the Recinto area in Ceuta.
Last weekend, young people including women were spotted throwing themselves into the water from the beaches in the Moroccan town of Fnideq, also known under the Spanish name Castillejos and not far from Ceuta, El Faro reported.
The Ceuta sea border was reached by 40 desperate Moroccan migrants, including six minors, also in late February when the area was being affected by a strong downpour.
Similar reports also emerged in August last year, when nearly 100 Moroccans in a day tried to reach Ceuta, and in 2021.
The Guardia Civil believes migrants decide to swim towards Ceuta during bad weather because they think they will face less security and will be helped to reach the shores by the strong waves. A similar move, however, places them in great danger of suffering hypothermia, smashing against the coast or drowning.
Bordered by Morocco, Ceuta lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the special member state territories of the European Union.
