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900 'illegals' hit Canaries
14/05/2006 21:43 - (SA)
Santa Cruz de Tenerife - The Spanish coastguard intercepted about 900 African illegal immigrants off the coasts of the Canary Islands at the weekend, said authorities in Santa Cruz on Sunday.
The immigrants, who included more than 30 children and youths, had set sail in six boats from Senegal in West Africa, said the authorities.
The Red Cross has set up a centre in the tourist resort of Los Cristianos on Tenerife Island to look after the immigrants.
A large number of refugees has been accommodated temporarily in an army barracks as shelters already are full.
Despite the rigours of the journey, most of the refugees were in good health and did not need medical aid, reported Spanish media.
The government of the autonomous Canary region accused the central Spanish government of inactivity.
Madrid was not showing enough interest in the Canary Islands and was not doing enough to stop the flow of immigrants, said a spokesperson in Santa Cruz.
Spain wants to deport the migrants to their native countries. However, this is not usually possible as in most cases, the migrant's origin cannot be determined or because Spain does not have a repatriation agreement with the country of origin. - Sapa-dpa
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