A small boat with 11 migrants who departed from El Jadida, in Morocco, was intercepted by the Maritime Police in front of Barra do Lavajo, between the islands of Armona and Culatra, at about 4:30 am this morning.
The 11 young people, "who have no identification, but who appear to be Moroccans" and who say they are aged between 21 and 30, "claim that they left El Jadida, the former Portuguese Mazagão, and that they were four or five days at sea, ”Captain Rocha Pacheco, commander of the Southern Maritime Guard, told press.
The trip was made, according to the migrants, "in a small open vessel, with a 15 horsepower engine"
“The alert was issued at 4:20 am by workers in Armona, who reported a suspicious vessel. Officers of the Olhão Maritime Police went to the location and intercepted the vessel, bringing its occupants to the Captaincy of the Port of Olhão,”said Mr. Rocha Pacheco.
Once on the ground, the young people received assistance, and three of them were taken to hospital, because "their state of health required care".
This attempt to land on the Algarve’s coast is the second in a few weeks, but only the third known in recent history. On December 11th, a group of eight Moroccans were intercepted after having landed at Monte Gordo Beach. These migrants applied for “protection status” and were welcomed at the Portuguese Centre for Refugees, in Lisbon.
A hospital source revealed that the three migrants who had been treated at Faro Hospital were discharged at 10:30 am, and have now gone to the SEF Regional Directorate in Faro. According to the National Maritime Authority (AMN), one of the young people had "a slight trauma to the knee" and the other two complained of "abdominal pain", which led to them being "assisted and later referred to a hospital unit by INEM, accompanied by agents of the Maritime Police”.
The 11 Moroccan citizens have asked for international protection status and now the government will have to analyse their case, revealed the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) this evening. In a statement, the SEF explains that, "under the framework of international protection applied in other cases of foreign citizens rescued in the Mediterranean, the application for the granting of the status will be registered and documentation proving the period of analysis of the same will be provided".
"This documentation allows them, during that period, to be guaranteed medical care, education, accommodation and means of subsistence", he adds. The group of 11 men, aged between 21 and 30, "will be transferred to Lisbon today". The Ministry of Internal Administration, through the Foreigners and Borders Service, and in close coordination with the Portuguese Council for Refugees, has provided accommodation for each of the 11 individuals.
