Immigrants in merry-go-rounds
2007-08-08 21:26
Madrid - Authorities in Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta have detained 239 would-be immigrants trying to gain entry to the Spanish mainland by hiding in lorries and fairground attractions, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
The lorries were used by Spanish fairground entertainers to carry merry-go-rounds to the territory during July 28-August 5 celebrations of local patron saints.
The migrants - 230 from Morocco and 15 of them minors - arrived in Ceuta pretending to visit the fairgrounds but sought to hide in the trucks before they returned to Algeciras in southern Spain by ferry.
Ceuta authorities had been on the lookout after a large number of migrants hid in the vehicles in previous years.
- AFP