The Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional, Maritime Rescue and Red Cross had to give their all, doubling overtime shifts and using all means at their disposal, to attend to the massive arrival, from last Saturday until yesterday, of 147 people who arrived in ten boats to the Pitiusas (nine to Formentera and one to Ibiza) from the region of Boumerdès, Algeria, a little more than 165 miles south of Formentera.
Yesterday morning saw the arrival of the ninth boat since Saturday in Formentera and the tenth to reach the Pitiusas (one was found in Ibiza). It was in the area of Caló des Mort, in Migjorn, with eleven men found in apparent good health, according to the Government Delegation.
The Guardia Civil could not specify the number of officers deployed over the course of these days, especially in Formentera, but described the units involved in the rescue and location of the 128 people who arrived in Formentera. As well as the entire Formentera unit, members of the Citizen Security Unit of the Balearic Islands Command, the Maritime Service, GEAS, Greim (mountain rescue), personnel from SIVE command centre and tax agents were also involved.
Formentera Policía Local also searched for, found and transferred migrants. The communications department of the Guardia Civil’s Balearic Command stated that their “priority is to rescue people, to get to them as soon as possible in case they need something, and then there are the formalities that will be passed on to the Policía Nacional”.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.