From this Tuesday, the Court of Almería will host the trial of two alleged captains of a boat in which three people died as a result of blows and blows to the head suffered during the voyage due to the weather conditions at sea and the “high speed” at which those in charge of the boat were traveling.
The prosecution is asking for seven years in prison for each of the two defendants for a crime against the rights of foreign citizens and four more years, in ideal competition, for three offenses of murder due to recklessness following the said deaths, as contained in the preliminary indictment seen by Europa Press.
The boat left the coast of Algeria at around 10 p.m. on October 12, 2024 with around 30 people of Moroccan origin on board, so the majority of the crossing took place at night.
In this sense, the first death occurred just an hour after departure, while the other two occurred around 3:00 a.m., although the boat, which remained adrift due to engine failure, was only rescued at 12:24 p.m. the following day.
The prosecutor points to the “disregard for the most basic rules of foresight and care” that the defendants showed when carrying out the navigation, since through their behavior the occupants began to suffer “numerous blows and knocks with the boat and even with each other”.
It is stated that the three victims suffered severe blows to the head as the occupants “fell on top of each other”, which also led to some “episodes of suffocation”; All while the pilot and assistant “ignored” their warnings and pleas for help, “while laughing and threatening to hit them all so they wouldn’t move.”
The prosecutor alleges that the defendants of Algerian origin – one of them with crimes against foreigners – organized and prepared the trip they undertook with the intention of enriching themselves “directly” through “clandestine immigration”, since they charged each immigrant about 8,000 euros through their employees.
The semi-rigid boat, approximately eight meters long, was equipped with a 300 horsepower outboard motor, but lacked lighting, rescue equipment and emergency elements. Due to the weather conditions, a lot of water entered the boat during the trip.
The boat’s occupants were rescued by the maritime rescue vessel “Guardamar Polimnia” about 41 nautical miles from Mesa Roldán after more than 14 hours of travel. In addition to the applications for deprivation of liberty, the public prosecutor’s office is also demanding compensation for the relatives of the deceased in the amount of a flat rate of 1,110,000 euros.
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