Migrant dies in paraglider attempt to enter Spain’s Ceuta

A young migrant died Friday after falling into the sea while attempting to enter Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta by paraglider from Morocco.

Spanish news agency EFE, citing Civil Guard sources, reported that officers recovered the body of the young sub-Saharan migrant after the incident near Ceuta’s northern border.

The incident occurred at around 8 am (0600GMT) when officers spotted a person attempting to reach the city on a paraglider from the mountains around Benzu, near the Moroccan border.

According to initial indications, the migrant was apparently attempting to land in an area near Ceuta’s northern border but lost control of the paraglider and fell into the sea.

Civil Guard officers quickly went to the area believing the migrant might still be alive, according to the report, but found that he had died.

His body was later transferred to the facilities of the Civil Guard’s Maritime Service.

EFE said it was the first recorded death of a migrant attempting to enter Ceuta using a paraglider.

The Civil Guard has recorded several isolated attempts by sub-Saharan migrants to reach the enclave using paragliders, particularly since last year.

Several accidents have also been reported, which authorities linked to migrants having limited experience operating the equipment.