Border force speedboat crushes migrant dinghy after dramatic chase

A police boat has been filmed crushing a dinghy which was carrying migrants attempting to reach Spanish territory in North Africa.

The Guardia Civil were recorded chasing the speedboat and trying to block its path.

However, the speedboat soon changed tactic and instead ploughed straight through the dinghy.

Four passengers were flung into the water and subsequently rescued.

One passenger required brief hospital treatment in the Moroccan city of Nador.

The remaining three passengers did not sustain injuries during the incident.

The incident took place on Sunday off Spain’s North African territory Melilla.

Local authorities claimed the Guardia Civil had proceeded normally to prevent the migrants from reaching the coast.

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Madrid confirmed it had no plans to investigate the incident, with Morocco opting to launch a probe.

However, left-wing Sumar MP Aina Vidal called the collision an “intolerable human disaster”.

Sumar and other parties have called for an official explanation from Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

Morocco also claimed attempts to smuggle migrants into Spain’s North African enclaves involve traffickers based on the mainland.

Ceuta and Melilla ensure the European Union shares a land border with Africa.

The enclaves experience sporadic waves of attempted crossings by migrants hoping to reach Europe.

Around 1,745 migrants managed to cross into the Spanish territories in North Africa in 2023.

A staggering 6,000 reached the Ceuta enclave from Morocco in a single day in May 2021.

Spain witnessed over 17,200 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers reach its shores in 2023 via the Western Mediterranean route.

The figure was nearly seven per cent higher compared to the 16,000 who crossed in 2022.

However, Sunday’s incident comes just days after a French border force speedboat also rammed a migrant vessel.

The dinghy, which set off around 7.30am from Gravelines Beach on August 19, was approached by the speedboat which told it to turn around and head to shore.

The border guard speedboat, which was flashing blue and red, appeared to ram the crammed migrant boat.

The Channel incident came before more than 20,000 migrants completed the perilous 21-mile journey.

Official figures show that 526 people arrived illegally in UK waters in eight dinghies on Tuesday.

Maritime security sources have told GB News that the UK was on target to significantly outstrip the 29,000 people who arrived by small boat in 2023.