Morocco aborts an attempt by 20 young people who tried to swim to Ceuta

The Moroccan authorities thwarted an attempt by 20 people to swim to Ceuta on Monday morning. However, five young people managed to bypass the breakwaters in the border area of Ceuta, while the others were arrested by the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie.

Police sources told EFE that the attempt happened at 9 a.m., when a large group of people gathered near the coast of Fnideq. Young people wore wetsuits, diving fins and in some cases only swimsuits to jump into the sea.

The intervention of the gendarmerie made it possible to intercept a group of about twenty swimmers but could not prevent five of them from jumping into the sea and reaching the Tarajal beach. According to EFE-Ceuta, the small group was intercepted by the civil guard.

This new attempt comes after a hectic weekend, during which less than a hundred Moroccans - including 7 minors - managed to enter Ceuta by sea, while others lost their lives.