Fishermen reel in another dead body off the coast of Denia
This is the fifth corpse pulled from the water in two months in the Marina Alta region of Alicante province
Another dead body has been reeled in by Denia fishermen, this time aboard the 'Vidal' boat, bringing the total number of bodies found floating in these waters to five in the last two months. They are all believed to have been migrants attempting to reach Spain in small vessels known as pateras.
The male's lifeless body was caught in a net six nautical miles from the shore at around 2.30pm on Tuesday May 30.
The corpse was in an advanced state of decomposition with limbs and head missing, according to reports from the fishermen who have been left "very distressed" by the macabre discovery.
The trawler docked in Denia Port at around 2.50pm and was met by the Guardia Civil and Denia Local Police. Within minutes, a police scientific unit was on the scene and the body was removed for a post mortem to determine the cause of death and origin of the deceased.
This is the fifth corpse to be reeled in by Denia fishermen in eight weeks. It was previously reported that six bodies had been recovered in April, but this figure has been revised.
On April 12, two bodies were pulled aboard a fishing boat sea six miles from the coast. They were also in an advanced state of decomposition and, according to the documents they were carrying, were of Nigerian nationality.
The tragic find was made a fortnight after two bodies were caught in nets in high seas about five miles from Denia shoreline.
An investigation is underway by the Judicial Police, who are working on the assumption a boat carrying the deceased capsized either due to a storm at sea or the substandard conditions of the patera.
Every year, thousands of migrants try to make the sea crossing from northern Africa to southern Europe in search of refuge from famine and war, and in the hopes of creating a better life. Unfortunately, a great many of these migrants die in their attempt to make the dangerous crossing.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Denia
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