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EVEN MORE DANGEROUS

Migrant reveals perils of Spanish route as Italy shuts its door

SORY SANG is one of the lucky ones.

As he dragged himself ashore after rowing a flimsy dinghy across the perilous Strait of Gibraltar, he was finally safe.

 Migrants in small inflatable in the Straits of Gibraltar before being picked up by the Tarifa rescue boat
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Migrants in small inflatable in the Straits of Gibraltar before being picked up by the Tarifa rescue boatCredit: Israel Diaz

The relieved 23-year-old told me: “It was so hard to get across and so scary.

"At one stage I vomited.

"I am really happy to be here now.”

Sory, a student from Guinea in West Africa, was one of 38 migrants picked up on Thursday by two ­Spanish coastguard boats on the short route from Morocco to Spain.

But the rescue boat that arrived after the 68ft Salvamar Arcturus — which got him and his fellow ­travellers closer to their dream of a new life in Europe — would have a darker tale to tell.

 

 The top row of un-named graves of victims who have drowned attempting to cross the straits in the cemetery in Barbate, Spain
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The top row of un-named graves of victims who have drowned attempting to cross the straits in the cemetery in Barbate, SpainCredit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun

Along with the nine men and a woman it brought to shore was a male corpse..

The number of migrants dying while heading to Spain has increased fourfold over the past year.

For the six months to June 10, 2017, there were 61. In the same period this year, 244 have perished.

But despite the dangers, still they come — and 9,315 have successfully made it to Spain so far this year.

 

 Italy’s hardline stance  has resulted in the country closing its ports so migrants are coming up through Morocco to Tarifa and from there trying to flee up to France or to the port of Bilbao in an attempt to stow away on ferries to enter the UK
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Italy’s hardline stance  has resulted in the country closing its ports so migrants are coming up through Morocco to Tarifa and from there trying to flee up to France or to the port of Bilbao in an attempt to stow away on ferries to enter the UK

That is almost double the 4,661 who made it in the first six months of 2017.

It is no wonder Spain’s migrant arrivals have skyrocketed.

Italy’s hardline stance  has resulted in the country closing its ports. New deputy prime minister and interior minister Matteo Salvini said: “Saving lives is a duty but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp isn’t.”

The numbers arriving in Italy have shrunk from 61,799 for the first six months of 2017 to 14,330 for the same period this year.

 

Facebook has also been accused of fuelling the crisis by allowing people- traffickers to post details of their operations for would-be clients

In Spain, a further 629 migrants are expected to arrive this weekend, when the Aquarius charity rescue vessel docks in Valencia after it was refused entry by Malta and Italy’s new right-wing government.

On board are people of all ages, including 123 unaccompanied kids and seven pregnant women.

They were rescued trying to make the crossing from Libya to Italy, the Mediterranean’s biggest migrant route from Africa.

Israel Diaz Aragon, 44, the ­Salvamar Arcturus’s skipper in Tarifa, said: “Despite the number of rescues, our feelings do not change.

 Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa wait on the quayside in the port of Tarifa to be processed after attempting the perilous crossing from Morocco
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Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa wait on the quayside in the port of Tarifa to be processed after attempting the perilous crossing from MoroccoCredit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun

"They are people who are in trouble at sea and it is our job to help ­people at sea.

“The situation has definitely got worse. Sometimes we are called out four times a day.

"When they see our orange dot on the horizon, they cheer and wave their paddles because they know they are saved.”

One of the main reasons for the influx is that people smugglers have dropped their prices.

They used to charge between 1,500 and 2,000 euros two years ago.

But now they ask 900 euros per person, according to Spanish government official Andres Garcia Lorca.

Facebook has also been accused of fuelling the crisis by allowing people- traffickers to post details of their operations for would-be clients.

Leonard Doyle, lead spokesman for the UN’s migration agency, said: “The migrants have their smartphones.

"They learn about social media on their journey and sign up to a whole criminal system living off the back of this wonderful social media machine.”

Facebook says it is trying to stop it. A spokesman said: “People smuggling is illegal and any posts, pages or groups that co-ordinate this activity are not allowed on Facebook.”

Others claim the appeal of arriving in Spain is that it offers a smooth gateway to other European countries.

Spain’s right-wing administration has been replaced by a socialist one which has a more relaxed, liberal approach to the migrant issue.

 Captain Israel Diaz Aragon, the skipper of the official government rescue boat based in the port of Tarifa on the southern tip of Spain
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Captain Israel Diaz Aragon, the skipper of the official government rescue boat based in the port of Tarifa on the southern tip of SpainCredit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun

Spain has an agreement with northern African countries such as Morocco and Algeria, which means migrants from those countries are returned.

But those from sub-Saharan ­countries are only held by police for 72 hours then freed as Spain does not have the infrastructure to look after large numbers for long periods.

Some are ordered to leave Spain and start lengthy legal attempts to stay.

Others just vanish, fuelling fears that the the crisis could let in terrorists.

Many capitalise on Spain’s land border with mainland Europe to eventually make it to Germany and the UK.

Sory, who completed a college course in marketing and international commerce in Guinea, admits that is the “dream”.

He said: “Spain gives me a lot of hope but one day I will perhaps go to the UK.

“My sister is there and has been for ten years and now has residency.”

Another of the migrants rescued on Thursday is also planning to leave Spain.

Amadou Fall, 34, from ­Senegal, said: “It took us five hours to row across.

 Student Sory Sang, 23, from Guinea who was picked up by the Spanish rescue boat after attempting the crossing from Morocco with The Sun's Robin Perrie
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Student Sory Sang, 23, from Guinea who was picked up by the Spanish rescue boat after attempting the crossing from Morocco with The Sun's Robin PerrieCredit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun

“I want to get to France or Italy or the UK if it is possible.

“I have come for work — all the people on this boat come for work.

"There are fishermen, electricians, farmers.

"They can’t find work in Africa so they come here. We can earn more here.

"I have got a few friends who have made it to the UK and they really like it there.”

Many do not bother with the lengthy road or train trip across Europe and instead attempt yet another sea crossing by stowing away on ferries between Bilbao, in northern Spain, and Portsmouth.

It is one of the routes being ­targeted by migrants after the ­Jungle migrant camp in Calais was dismantled in 2016.

 Migrants are trying to sneak on to ferries at ports such as Santander, which sends ships to Portsmouth and Plymouth
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Migrants are trying to sneak on to ferries at ports such as Santander, which sends ships to Portsmouth and PlymouthCredit: AFP

Last year, police stopped 3,800 attempts by migrants to stow away on lorries at the Spanish port.

Eleven stowaways were found in one morning last week by Bilbao civil guards.

Last summer, 12 migrants were discovered hiding in the freight deck of a Brittany Ferries ship that docked in Portsmouth from Bilbao.

Scores set up base in a makeshift campsite a few hundred yards from the port and make attempts to sneak on to the twice-weekly ferries.

Numbers have fallen but they have simply moved along the coast to other ports such as Santander, which sends ships to Portsmouth and Plymouth.

 Eleven stowaways were found in one morning last week by Bilbao civil guards
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Eleven stowaways were found in one morning last week by Bilbao civil guardsCredit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun

Alp Mehmet, vice-chairman of Migration Watch UK, still questions whether enough is being done by Spain to address the issue.

He said: “As the EU Commission’s vice-president admitted, 60 per cent of those arriving during the migrant crisis were not genuine asylum candidates.

“According to reports, many of the high number of asylum seekers now in Spain are using the country as a back door to France and the UK.

"The need for stronger ­measures to deter illegal entry to the UK couldn’t be clearer.” Many of those braving the crossing are not fleeing war, famine or drought — and are usually therefore not ­entitled to claim refugee status.

They are economic migrants who simply want to improve their lives in Europe.

The overwhelming majority are men.

Of the 38 I saw arrive on Thursday, 36 were male and just two were women.

For the people of Tarifa and its neighbouring towns, they too want something to ease the heartbreak.

Cemetery worker Rafael Ucles, 61, who lives in Barbate, 32 miles up the coast from Tarifa, has buried 70 migrants who drowned.

He said: “They are poor and hungry and are in search of a better life.

“But people are poor and out of work here, too.”

Pedro Morena, 59, who operates a drinks stall and beach car park, said: “It gets worse year after year and even a tragedy like a small boy dying does not stop it.

“Just last Saturday I was at my stand and around 25 boys aged around 14 came running past.

 

“They had made it on to the beach and were trying to get into the countryside before the police and the charities got to them.

"Some made it, some didn’t.

“I was shocked when they came running past but it wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.”

629 migrants board rescue boat Aquarius and drifts at sea as Italy refuses to let it dock

 

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