The Algerian coast guard recovered four bodies and intercepted 13 migrants who were on board a boat that capsized off the Algerian coast, the defense ministry said on Sunday.
"
The Territorial Group of Coast Guard of Algiers and a search and rescue helicopter of the Naval Forces proceeded, Saturday October 16, 2021, to the rescue of 13 illegal immigrants and to the recovery of four bodies of other immigrants drowned following the capsizing from their boat 16 nautical miles (about 29 km) north of the city of Algiers,
”said a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
The press release does not specify the nationality of the victims.
But most often, it is Algerians.
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Despite the shipwrecks and the fatal risks of crossing the Mediterranean,
more and more Algerian
“
harraga
” are taking to sea, usually heading for the Spanish coast. The word “
harraga
” (literally “
the burners
”) refers to the fact that illegal youths often set their identity documents on fire to destroy them on arrival at their destination, in order to avoid being repatriated to Algeria.
According to figures published by the Algerian Ministry of Defense, 4,704 harraga have been intercepted since the start of the year, more than half of them during the month of September.
The upsurge in migrant departures has been accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 8,000 interceptions were made by the Algerian coast guard in 2020.
Read alsoMigrants: at least 8 dead and 17 missing off Spain
Algeria passed a law in 2009 aimed at "
combating illegal immigration
" which provides for penalties of up to six months' imprisonment for offenders, but this has not had a deterrent effect on departures.