Spanish Rescue Agency Says Saved 361 Migrants in Mediterranean on Wednesday
The Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Society (SASEMAR) said on Wednesday that it had saved as many as 361 migrants who were heading to Spain via the Mediterranean over the past day.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) The Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Society (SASEMAR) said on Wednesday that it had saved as many as 361 migrants who were heading to Spain via the Mediterranean over the past day.
SASEMAR said that 135 migrants on five boats had been rescued in the Strait of Gibraltar, and another 226 migrants on four boats had been rescued in the Alboran sea on Wednesday so far.
According to the International Organization for Migration, Spain currently tops the list of Mediterranean countries by the number of migrant sea arrivals, with over 25,100 migrants arriving in the country since the beginning of the year, which is some 3,000 arrivals more than in 2017.
A total of 61,517 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea in 2018, compared with 172,362 last year. A total of 1,524 people are reported dead or missing.
SASEMAR was founded in 1992. The agency, headquartered in the Spanish capital of Madrid, is involved in maritime traffic control, rescue operations and protection of the maritime environment.