Madrid

The Spanish Coastguard said on Tuesday (July 11) that it rescued two Nigerian migrants who stowed away on the rudder of a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Togo. The migrants were rescued on Monday night in the port of Las Palmas and were then taken to a hospital. After being discharged, they were transferred back to the ship, which now has to return them to their port of origin. 

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According to a report by the news agency Reuters early Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Guardia Civil Police said that the migrants were aged 19 and 22. A coastguard spokesperson said the container ship's last stop before reaching the Spanish archipelago off the African coast was Lome.

The ship left Lagos on July 2 and stopped in Togo on July 4. This meant that the migrants were onboard for at least a week. Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a dangerous gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe. 

Also on Tuesday, the Spanish Coastguard was searching for three migrant boats reported lost at sea by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) a day after 78 migrants were rescued from another vessel near the Canary Islands. 

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Speaking to the news agency AFP, a spokesperson from Salvamento Maritimo said a rescue plane had been deployed to the area but "did not find anything". The spokesperson said that the coastguard requested other ships in the area to be on the lookout. 

The three missing boats are believed to have left the coast of Senegal in recent weeks, Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras said. One boat was carrying 200 people and the other two were carrying between 50 and 70 people, the NGO added. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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