November 30, (THEWILL) – Three Nigerian men, who survived an 11-day journey from Lagos to Spain’s Canary Islands while stowed away on the rudder of an oil tanker, have been rescued by the Spanish coast guard on Monday.
The migrants are now expected to be returned home under stowaway laws, Reuters reported on Tuesday, quoting a police spokesman.
According to Marine Traffic (a ship-tracking website), the Maltese-flagged Alithini II, a chemical and oil tanker, arrived in Las Palmas Port in Gran Canaria, on Monday, after leaving Nigeria on Nov. 17.
A photo distributed by the Spanish coast guard on Tuesday, showed the three men perched on the ship’s rudder.
They were taken into the port and attended to by medical services. The men showed symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia, and one remained hospitalized on Tuesday.
Spanish data showed that migration by sea to the Canary Islands jumped 51% in the first five months of 2022, compared to last year
In 2021, about 22,500 migrants crossed by sea from the West African coastline to the Canary Islands, and more than 1,100 died at sea, the Red Cross said.
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