Status: 11/29/2022 4:10 p.m
Three people have survived an eleven-day crossing from Nigeria to Spain – on the rudder blade of an oil tanker. The migrants were only discovered in the port of the Canary Island of Las Palmas.
According to a media report, three migrants survived eleven days on the rudder blade of an oil tanker and thus reached the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain. The ship arrived there from Lagos in Nigeria on Monday, wrote the Spanish sea rescue service on Twitter.
The three people would have sat on the huge rudder blade for the entire trip, with the water almost reaching their feet, as shown in photos online. They were immediately taken to hospitals.
Provided by health services
According to the AFP news agency, the authorities initially gave no information about the origin of the rescued. “They were tired, showing signs of hypothermia and when they arrived at the port, they were treated by the health services,” the Spanish Coast Guard said in a statement. The rescued were “moderately dehydrated” and needed hospital treatment, the emergency number 112 tweeted.
According to tracking website shipfinder.com, the Maltese-flagged “Alithini II” departed from Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, on November 17.
This year nearly 15,000 people arrived
The Canary Islands lie off the northwest coast of Africa. Despite the danger to life, many people dare to cross towards the EU – mostly in small boats across the open Atlantic.
The United Nations (UN) counted nearly 15,000 arrivals through November this year. The UN Organization for Migration (International Organization for Migration, IOM) reported more than 1,500 dead or missing at sea as of October. The number of unreported cases is likely to be higher.