Three migrants perched on the rudder of a cargo ship with their feet nearly touching the water have been rescued by the Spanish coast guard. The migrants traveled from Nigeria and arrived in Spain's Canary Islands.
The Spanish coast guard said it rescued three migrants stowed away on the rudder of a cargo ship that arrived in the port of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands on Monday (November 28) from Nigeria.
In a Twitter post, the Spanish coast guard said that the migrants traveled on the rudder of the Alithini II vessel, a chemical and oil products tanker.
"They have been taken to the port and are being treated by health services," the maritime service said in a tweet, attaching a photograph of the three individuals perched on the rudder with their feet nearly touching the water.
The ship, sailing under the flag of Malta, set off from Lagos, Nigeria on November 17 and arrived in Las Palmas after an 11-day voyage, according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking website.
Among world's deadliest migrant routes
Migration by sea to the Canary Islands jumped 51% in the first five months of 2022 compared to a year earlier, according to Spanish government data.
Over 11,500 migrants have crossed into the Canary Islands this year, as per Spanish Interior Ministry figures on September 15.
Many migrants, particularly from Africa, try to reach the European Union by boat via Spain's Canary Islands. The migrant route from West Africa to the Canary Islands across the Atlantic is among the deadliest worldwide. The Atlantic Ocean is particularly infamous for its strong currents, which makes such trips more perilous.
Thousands brave the trip annually from northwest and sub-Saharan Africa, in search of better lives.
With Reuters, dpa