The Spanish coast guard rescued 3 stowaways who spent 11 days balancing on a ship's rudder as it traveled from Nigeria to the Canary Islands
- The Spanish coast guard rescued three men who traveled from Nigeria to the Canary Islands on a ship's rudder.
- They survived the 11-day journey that left from the port of Lagos in Nigeria on November 17.
The Spanish coast guard rescued three men who spent 11 days balancing on a ship's rudder on a voyage from Nigeria to the Canary Islands, according to the agency.
A photo posted by the Spanish coastguard on Twitter shows the three men — all of sub-Saharan descent, according to EFE — perched on the rudder blade of an oil tanker as they traveled from the port of Lagos in Nigeria to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The men were sitting on the upper part of the rudder blade on the outside of the hull, under the stern, the agency reported.
All three men were hospitalized with dehydration after their journey, according to news agency EFE. Reuters reported the stowaways also had hypothermia.
The Maltese-flagged oil tanker "Alithini II" had left Nigeria on November 17 and arrived Monday afternoon, according to MarineTraffic.com.
The stowaways may be able to stay in Spain if they can claim asylum, the director of migrant rights organization Walking Borders told Reuters.