The man, who was apparently trying to reach Spain from Morocco using an inflatable rubber ring and fins, was rescued after being spotted by a family sailing to the Balearic Islands.
The family was reported to be on their yacht 13 nautical miles south of the Andalusian town of Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol when they passed the stern of an oil tanker and saw movement in the waves. At first, they assumed it was a bird until they looked through binoculars and realized it was a person.
The family headed to the port of Estepona, but at sea, they were met by a maritime rescue service vessel, which took the man to the port of Malaga and handed him over to the police and the Red Cross.
It turned out that such dangerous journeys are not uncommon, as dozens of migrants from North Africa attempt to reach Spain in this way, using whatever means they can afford, such as rubber boats and inflatable armbands, to cross the Alboran Sea.
At the same time, sources in the Civil Guard police, who patrol Spain's borders, told the publication El País that such cases, depending on the time of year, are quite common.
A brief summary:
The news describes the rescue of a man who decided to cross the sea from Morocco to Spain on an inflatable rubber ring. Such dangerous journeys are not uncommon, as migrants use various means to reach a new country.