Four migrants die after being thrown off boat they were travelling in Spain

Four migrants were forced from the boat they were traveling in, and as a result, they died meters (yards) from shore in southern Spain, according to officials on Thursday.

Thirteen other passengers from the boat, including six children, survived the Wednesday afternoon incident, according to the Spanish government press office in the southern province of Cdiz. Four more passengers were transported to a hospital.

The press office stated that the drivers of the vessel ejected 27 passengers close to Camposoto beach, where the four individuals lost their lives. It also stated that eight more people were ejected near to a different beach.

A local man’s video captured migrants being pushed from the boat and others attempting to swim to land in the turbulent waters.

Javier Gonzlez, who runs a nautical company, said he and his son managed to rescue eight people. He said they and other workers helped the migrants on the beach.

In a telephone message to The Associated Press, Gonzlez said no police officers or marine rescue personnel took part in in the initial rescue.

The boat drivers sped off, the press office said. Police used drones to try to locate them but were not successful, the office said.

Officials said the migrants were from unspecified North African countries.

Tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan countries try to reach Spain each year in large open boats launched from northwest Africa. Most go to the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, while others try to cross the Mediterranean Sea to mainland Spain.

Several thousand are known to die making the hazardous journey.

(with inputs from AP)