They survived thanks to life jackets and a jerry can that kept a baby afloat
A total of 14 people were rescued 42 miles off the coast of Torrevieja this Thursday morning, after staying in the water for 18 hours after having overturned the boat in which they were traveling. A fishing boat spotted these people floating in the water and came to their rescue.
The migrants reported that 17 people were traveling on the boat, including a woman, a girl and a baby. They left Algeria and capsized around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 14 of them were able to survive thanks to the life jackets and the baby thanks to the fact that they kept him afloat with a gasoline canister that they were able to cut and shade him, as explained by the Red Cross.
Maritime Rescue Units, including a helicopter, picked up the immigrants, and the most serious were treated at the General Hospital of Alicante and the rest by the Red Cross device in the port of Alicante.
According to the information available, of the 17 people who were on the boat, three were still missing (two presumably dead and one missing).
The Consell regrets the disappearance of the three immigrants
The Council has lamented the deaths of these people and reiterates its willingness to fight, within the scope of its powers, against the illegal trafficking of persons and against those who support and favor it.
The Minister for Justice and the Interior, Elisa Núñez, has expressed “the Consell’s condemnation of illegal human trafficking” and has urged the National Government to stop the flow of illegal immigration, to promote tougher penalties against mafias and put an end to the call effect policies that take the lives of thousands of people every year.