Three Hospitalised as 100 Migrants Attempt to Swim to Spanish North African Enclave

Three migrants were hospitalised for hypothermia after around 100 attempted to swim from Morocco to the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.

The migrants attempted the swim in groups of 20 to 30 throughout Sunday, departing from a beach in the Moroccan town of Fnideq, according to a Spanish Civil Guard spokesman.

“Some arrived at the beach [of Ceuta] on their own,” the spokesman said and added that the majority had to be rescued by Spanish authorities by boat, broadcaster Franceinfo reports.

There were no fatalities or serious injuries, although three migrants were hospitalised for hypothermia. Five more migrants are said to have reached the enclave on Monday, according to the Civil Guard.

Ceuta has seen regular attempts by African immigrants to enter the Spanish territory in the last several years, as illegals hope to be transferred to the Spanish mainland to enter the European Union and apply for asylum.

Last year, the Spanish government announced it would be building 30-foot high walls around Ceuta and its other North African enclave Melilla in an effort to prevent migrants from storming the border. Previously, most of the attempts to enter the enclaves had been made by land.

Before the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, incidents have taken place at the border of Ceuta involving many migrants, such as in 2017 when 1,000 Africans armed with makeshift weapons tried to enter the city.

In another incident last August in Melilla, 21 police officers were injured after a group of migrants staying at a local facility rioted due to positive cases of the Wuhan coronavirus and threw rocks at the officers. Thirty-three migrants were later arrested.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com