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Seven boats carrying 101 people intercepted off Cartagena coast
Fourteen minors were among those brought to Cartagena, where Red Cross teams carried out health checks
A total of 101 people were intercepted aboard seven small boats off the coast of Cartagena on Monday October 12, according to the Government Delegation in the Region of Murcia.The operation involved the Guardia Civil, Maritime Rescue and Customs Surveillance officers from the Tax Agency. Fourteen minors, four women and 83 adult men were among those intercepted.
The first two boats were detected by the SIVE coastal surveillance system before reaching the shore. Guardia Civil patrols then went to Cala Reona and Punta de la Espada, in the Cabo de Palos area, where they intercepted the occupants.
Those two boats were carrying 10 and 42 people respectively.
The remaining five vessels were stopped at sea, between 10 and 15 miles off Monte de las Cenizas near Cartagena. They had seven, 11, nine, 12 and 10 people on board.
All 101 people were taken to Cartagena, where they were attended to by Red Cross teams. The organisation confirmed that they were in good health before they were handed over to the Policía Nacional to begin the relevant return procedures.
The interceptions come only a week after two boats carrying 87 people, including 12 minors, were stopped off Cartagena on Monday October 5.
That earlier operation involved boats intercepted near El Gorguel and Portmán. Two further vessels carrying 38 and 45 people had also been detected close to Cala Reona on Thursday October 1.
The latest operation is one of the largest reported off the Cartagena coast in recent months. The use of the SIVE surveillance system allowed officers to detect the first two boats before they reached the beach, while the other vessels were intercepted by teams operating at sea.
There were also several landings around Cartagena in August, including the arrival of around 50 people at Calblanque Regional Park on Wednesday August 26.
The August incident was the third landing of its kind on the Cartagena coast in just over a week. In that case, witnesses alerted the 112 emergency coordination centre after a boat came ashore at Cala de los Dentoles, also known as Cala Dorada.
Monday’s operation again brought together several emergency and security services, with the initial priority being to locate the boats, bring those on board safely to Cartagena and carry out health checks before the subsequent administrative process began.
Image: Cruz Roja Region de Murcia/X.com
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