THE wave of sub-Saharan immigrants crossing the Alboran Sea shows no sign of slowing.
It comes after Almeria’s Maritime Rescue Service (SM) rescued 98 people in a single day.
The Helimer 211 helicopter alerted crew on the Guardamar Polimnia vessel to the presence of a dinghy around 81 miles offshore with 34 adults, including three women, on board.
All were brought safely to Spain despite the small boat taking on water and starting to sink.
Later the same day, the Salvamar Hamal craft intercepted two dinghies with 64 migrants, including a heavily pregnant woman and a 10-year-old girl, around 48 miles south of Motril in Granada.
The search for a fourth dinghy carrying 47 people continues after Spanish authorities received a tip-off from Tensaman in Morocco, with the SM’s SAR Mastelero boat deployed alongside a patrol vessel from Frontex, the European border management agency, flying a Latvian flag.
A Spanish Air Force jet was also called up to aid in the hunt after weather conditions worsened.
Almost 500 African immigrants have been rescued off the coast of Spain since last Saturday, with most heading for Murcia, Granada and Cadiz.
