In the Cala Dorada in the Parque Regional de Calblanque (Cartagena) a boat reached the coast on Saturday. The Delegación del Gobierno at the Región de Murcia confirmed the incident and the ongoing search operation by the Guardia Civil. At around 10.36 am, beachgoers reported a boat approaching via emergency number 112 ; a large contingent of emergency services was then deployed on land and at sea to locate the occupants and check whether they needed medical attention.
According to matching accounts from local media and eyewitnesses, there may have been between 40 and 50 people on board. Several reportedly jumped into the water as the boat approached the beach and left the immediate landing area on foot. No official figure for the number of people was initially available on Saturday. The authorities said they would provide further information once the search was complete.
The landing is one of several similar incidents along the Cartagena coast in recent days. Earlier this week, boats were repeatedly intercepted near the coast or their occupants searched for after they came ashore. In this connection, the Guardia Civil refers to increased surveillance at sea and along particularly busy stretches of the Parque Regional de Calblanque.
The Delegación del Gobierno says available sea and land forces are being pooled to respond to the current situation. In similar incidents in recent weeks, Red Cross teams have also been called in to provide first aid. On Saturday, the authorities gave no information about the arrivals’ origins or possible smuggling networks; investigations into these matters are ongoing.
The latest incident comes during a period of expanded maritime presence in the Región de Murcia. According to the authorities, an offshore patrol vessel of the Guardia Civil has been operating in the region’s waters since 13 August as part of Frontexmission Operación Indalo . In addition, a previously defective, rapidly deployable boat of the S-40 type was returned to service on Friday to increase coastal surveillance. The aim is to detect approaching boats earlier, coordinate rescue operations more quickly and systematically gather evidence against smuggling networks.
It was initially unclear how many people had already been picked up from Cala Dorada. The Guardia Civil continued the search on Saturday. The Delegación del Gobierno will report on the outcome and any further measures once this phase of the operation is complete.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).