Migrant boat reaches resort
2008-07-05 18:28
El Medano, Spain - A small boat packed with at least 148 African migrants landed on a beach in the Canary Islands on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said.
The flimsy fibreglass vessel arrived at La Tejita beach on Tenerife's south coast at around 06:30 as windsurfers were preparing to take to the sea, authorities said. The windsurfers and tourists alerted police.
The occupants tried to run inland, but were rounded up and detained, a ministry spokesperson said. One man, who was dehydrated and had hypothermia, collapsed on the beach and was taken to a hospital.
The rest were treated on the scene by Red Cross mobile units.
All the migrants were males and at least six of them were minors, the spokesperson told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry rules.
Thousands of sub-Saharan Africans try to reach the prosperity of Europe through the Canary Islands each year.
- AP