African news. 3 Nigerians survive 11-day journey from Lagos to Spain. Three Nigerian migrants arrived in the Canary islands enduring an excruciating journey on the rudder of a fuel tanker and have asked for asylum in Spain.
How did the 3 Nigerians survive the 11 day journey from Lagos to Spain?
The three Nigerians, who happen to be men, were found when the Alithini II docked in Las Palmas on the Island of Gran Canaria.
In a photo circulating on social media shared by the Spanish coastguard, the men are seen sitting on the rudder of the oil tanker’s stern with their feet just above the waterline.
The men were taken to the hospital for testing and they were diagnosed with hypothermia and received hospital care before being returned to the ship.
According to Nation Africa, Spanish officials had said that the ship’s operator had the legal responsibility to take them back to Nigeria since they were stowaways.
A spokesman for the central government’s representative in the Canary Islands said the three men had requested asylum in Spain and the Maltese-flagged ship was allowed to leave Gran Canaria without them.
The Alithini II left Nigerian for Las Palmas – a journey of over 2,700 nautical miles, on the 17, according to Maritime tracking websites.
Spain’s Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa, are a popular gateway for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
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