A migrant who was evacuated by helicopter from Alborán dies in the hospital | Spain

One of the migrants who arrived last week in Alborán, a Spanish islet of only seven hectares located in the middle of the Mediterranean, died this Saturday at the Torrecárdenas University Hospital (Almería), following having been evacuated last Sunday from the island. , located between North Africa and Almería.

Hospital sources have explained to Europa Press that he died on Friday, although they have not provided further details. The migrant was taken to the hospital in a helicopter made available by the Maritime Rescue teams. Around 200 migrants landed on the island of Alborán aboard several boats in the area around the enclave, of which regarding 150 were transferred to Almería and Motril (Granada).

According to sources from the Government subdelegation, 50 of the remaining migrants have not yet been able to be evacuated from the island due to the storm. The arrival of immigrants, many of them North Africans, has overwhelmed the reception capacity of a place where there are no fixed facilities to shelter them, and of the naval detachment itself, usually made up of a dozen soldiers.

The rescued people have been taken to the Temporary Care Centers for Foreigners (CATE) in Almería and Motril, following beginning the transfer last Thursday. The Civil Guard and Maritime Rescue have carried out the operation, which has had to be carried out in a “staggered” manner due to the inclement weather of a “storm”, so they have only been able to access the island through zodiacs. In total, a hundred of the migrants have been evacuated to the CATE in Almería, while another 50 have been transferred to the CATE in Motril.

Since last summer, the arrival of boats to Alborán has increased – many of them speedboats used for drug trafficking – but they have never done so in such a high number nor have they had to stay so many days on the islet. The Ministry of Defense is studying installing prefabricated accommodation to deal with these emergencies. Alborán, under Spanish sovereignty, is located 54 kilometers from Cape Tres Forcas (Morocco) and 89 from the port of Adra (Almería).

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