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15 migrants rescued after boat raises alarm off Murcia coast
The small fishing boat was intercepted around 8 kilometres from San Pedro del Pinatar
A rescue operation was launched off the Murcia coast on Thursday September 17 after a boat carrying 15 undocumented migrants alerted emergency services that four people on board were in a critical condition.
The vessel was sailing around eight kilometres from the coast of San Pedro del Pinatar when the 112 emergency call was received, prompting authorities to prepare for the possibility that several people would need urgent medical treatment.
A Red Cross vessel, the Lima Sierra Moraga, was sent out from San Pedro del Pinatar to locate the boat and assess the condition of everyone on board.
When rescuers reached the vessel, however, they found that all 15 occupants were in good health and there were no seriously injured people.
The initial report had nevertheless triggered a larger medical response than would normally be required for this type of rescue. An advanced life support ambulance was mobilised instead of the basic life support unit normally kept on standby for these operations.
Once the Red Cross team confirmed that nobody required emergency treatment, the advanced ambulance was stood down and returned to its original location. Maritime Rescue also sent the Salvamar Draco to the area to take the 15 people on board and bring them safely to Cartagena.
They were taken ashore in Cartagena before being transferred to the CATE at La Algameca, where they would undergo the relevant procedures.
The boat involved in Thursday's operation was also notably different from many of the vessels intercepted off the Murcia coast in recent months.
Rather than one of the large, powerful semi-rigid boats often described as "taxi boats" or speedboats, the vessel was a traditional small fishing boat.
Image: Salvamento Marítimo
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