Spain rescues 549 migrants crossing Mediterranean in small boats over one weekend

Number of authorised migrants reaching Spain has risen, despite a five-year low in Europe-wide arrivals

Some of migrants arrive at Motril's Port in Spain (EPA)

Spain’s maritime rescue service has rescued 549 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean in small boats over two days.

Officials said rescue craft had intercepted six small smuggling boats carrying a total of 350 migrants on Saturday in waters east of the Strait of Gibraltar.

On Sunday another 199 migrants were pulled from five different boats, including two tiny inflatable dinghies meant for small bodies of water or near the beach.

One of the dinghies was carrying four children, while the other was packed with 10 adults.

The EU’s border agency Frontex said 57,000 migrants reached Spain last year, double the figure for 2017.

The rise is partially due to the fact Italy, Malta and several other EU nations have been refusing to allow aid boats full of rescued migrants to dock at their ports.

Overall, however, unauthorised border crossings into Europe hit a five-year low in 2018. Frontex released figures on Friday showing an estimated 150,000 people entered the EU through irregular crossings in 2018.

Despite the spike in the numbers reaching Spain, the EU-wide total was a 25 per cent drop on 2017, and was 92 per cent below the peak recorded during the crisis of 2015.

A 2016 EU deal with Turkey – under which migrants arriving in Greece would be sent back to Turkey if they did not apply for asylum or their claim was rejected – has curbed numbers.

New border fences erected in 10 Balkan countries has also had an impact, as has a deal signed between Rome and Tripoli, under which Italy pledged money, training and equipment to help Libyan officials manage its borders.

In the UK, Home Secretary Sajid Javid declared migrant crossings a “major incident” following the discovery of a few dozen people attempting to cross the English Channel from France over the Christmas period.

Mr Javid said he and the French interior minister had agreed on the need to “ramp up” co-operation between the two countries.

Additional reporting by Associated Press