Four migrants die near Spanish coast after being forced off boat

‌Four migrants died after being forced off a boat in the south of Spain by people smugglers close to the beaches of Andalucia on Thursday.‌ The tragedy took place in the waters near Camposoto beach in the southern province of Cadiz, just meters off the coast of Spain and within touching distance from the dream of reaching European shores.

‌Witnesses say the four victims were among a group of 27 migrants who had to swim to shore after they jumped or were pushed off a boat in cold, choppy waters at gunpoint.

‌Another eight people made it to a nearby beach bringing number of migrants on board to 35. All of them are believed to be of northern African origin according to the Spanish government press office.

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‌'Narcolanchas' - people smugglers force migrants into water then make escape

‌Powerful speed boats known in Spain as 'narcolanchas' were previously used to smuggle hashish and other drugs into Spain from Morocco. Now they're being packed with migrants and driven across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Spanish mainland, as people-smuggling becomes ever more lucrative.

‌It's a tactic that's becoming increasingly common according to the EU border agency Frontex. When they get close to the shore, the boat drivers force the passengers into the water to turn around and escape Spanish authorities. Eye-witness accounts on Thursday appear to corroborate this information.

‌Javier Gonzalez runs a wind surfing company and was working nearby when they saw the drama unfold. Gonzalez and his son helped to rescue eight people on the company dinghy in a tragedy that could have been much worse.

‌About 15-20 of us were working and we couldn't believe what we saw," Gonzalez said.‌ "Suddenly, they began jumping off the boat and some were thrown into the water. There are even images showing one of the boat drivers pointing a gun at a migrant, as if to say 'jump, or I'll shoot you'."

‌When they reached safety some migrants told Gonzalez that they had paid €5,000 euros (around $5,500)- for the journey.

‌At its narrowest point, the distance between Spain and Morocco is just 14.5 kilometers, and the 'narcolancha' boats with their powerful motors can reach speeds up to 60 or 70 knots - the equivalent of 120 to 140 kilometers per hour - and can cross the Strait of Gibraltar in as little as 15 to 20 minutes.

Spain's migrant crisis

‌The incident comes as Spain struggles to manage a 70 percent increase in irregular migrant arrivals this year. After the deaths of the four migrants in Cadiz the country's second deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz posted on her social media that she was "horrified by this news," saying "We need a Europe that welcomes and is inclusive so that our seas and oceans don't continue to be a mass grave.”

‌On the other side of Spain's political divide, politicians tell a very different story. On Thursday, the far-right party VOX MP David Arranz spoke of an "illegal immigration invasion.”

‌Speaking of the 30,000 migrants who arrived in the Canary Islands this year, Arranz called the situation "a grave problem of national security that threatens our prosperity, peace, and well-being.”

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