Madrid - The captain of a Spanish fishing vessel Thursday
described 'Dante-esque' scenes of horror on board a boat transporting
would-be migrants from Africa to Europe, which had been adrift for 20
days after running out of fuel at open sea.
More than 50 migrants were believed to have died.
The fishermen first thought the boat was empty when they spotted
it, silent like a ghost ship, Wednesday evening at more than 500
kilometres off Mauritania on the West African coast, captain Jose
Maria Abreu said.
But when they approached, they saw the only survivor feebly lift
his hand among seven decomposing bodies.
The vessel, which had set sail in Mauritania, was thought to have
carried a total of at least 54 immigrants seeking to enter Europe.
Survivors kept throwing bodies into the sea until there was only
one of them left.
'He was in a very serious condition,' Abreu said. 'We took him on
board and helped him as we could, giving him food and water.'
'I am broken, I feel bad. Before being a captain, I am a human
being,' Abreu said, fighting back tears.
A Spanish hospital ship went to meet the fishing vessel, taking
the survivor and the bodies on board.
Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, the first to make the
tragedy public, said about 13,000 undocumented immigrants had reached
Spanish coasts so far this year, down from 35,000 in 2006.
The drop is attributed largely to increased efforts to prevent
illegal immigration, such as maritime patrols and repatriations, in
cooperation with the European Union and African countries.
Increased surveillance has prompted migrant smugglers to choose
longer routes to the Canary Islands.
Instead of Western Sahara, Mauritania or Senegal, boats now leave
increasingly from Guinea-Conakry and Guinea-Bissau further down the
West African coast.
The boat whose only survivor was rescued on Wednesday had ventured
out to the open sea precisely to steer clear of police patrols,
captain Abreu said.
The Spanish Interior Ministry was watching 50 boats moored in
Conakry, which were suspected of trafficking with migrants, the daily
El Pais reported.
Thousands of Africans are believed to have lost their lives when
attempting to reach Spain.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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