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148 African boat migrants reach Canary Islands

Men aboard flimsy boat arrive ashore in luxury resort beach; 1 hospitalized

Image: African migrants
Migrants sit on the Tejita beach near El Medano on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain. At least 148 immigrants arrived in a small boat Saturday and were detained.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
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updated 4:36 p.m. ET July 5, 2008

EL MEDANO, Spain - A small boat packed with at least 148 African migrants landed Saturday on a beach in the Canary Islands, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.

The flimsy fiberglass vessel arrived at La Tejita beach on Tenerife's south coast around 6:30 a.m. as windsurfers were preparing to take to the sea, authorities said. The windsurfers and tourists alerted police.

The occupants tried to run inland, but were rounded up and detained, a ministry spokeswoman said. One man, who was dehydrated and had hypothermia, collapsed on the beach and was taken to a hospital.

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The rest were treated on the scene by Red Cross mobile units.

All the migrants were males and at least six of them were minors, the spokeswoman told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry rules.

Thousands of sub-Saharan Africans try to reach the prosperity of Europe through the Canary Islands each year.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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