Eight pregnant women, who were amongst 61 illegal immigrants intercepted off the coast of Granada yesterday, have been transferred to hospital for precautionary medical checks.
A small boat was intercepted about 40 miles off the coast of Granada after its 14 hour journey from North Africa. The boat was in a bad state of repair and was suffering navigational problems.
On board the boat were 61 passengers, including 14 women and 5 children under the age of two years. The Marine Rescue ship ‘Salvamar Hamal’ transported the passengers to the port of Motril.
The authorities were alerted to the existence of the boat after a phone call from someone in North Africa. A spotter plane was launched and once the boat had been located, the ‘Salvamar Hamal’ was sent to intercept.
Apart from the hospitalisation of the eight pregnant women for precautionary medical checks, the rest of the passengers were said to be in good health.