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Stowaways found sitting on rudder of ship after 11-day voyage are hospitalised

Spanish authorities have discovered three stowaways that were perched on the rudder of a ship after it had completed an 11-day journey from Nigeria.

In a shocking photograph shared by the Spanish coastguard, the three men could be seen sitting on the rudder and just above the waterline of an oil tanker that had arrived in Gran Canaria.

A government spokesperson from the Canary Islands told Spanish outlet EFE that the men were taken to hospital after being discovered and received treatment for moderate dehydration.

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The men had survived the dangerous journey on the Althini II, a 183-metre ship that had set out on its long voyage from Lagos, Nigeria on November 17.

A photo shared by the coastguard shows the men sitting on the rudder at the oil tanker's stern, their feet less than a metre away from the water.
The men have been hospitalised

The BBC reports that data collection by maritime tracking websites show the ship travelled more than 2,700 nautical miles before arriving at its destination in Las Palmas after 11 days.

It's still uncertain whether the three men had spent the entire treacherous journey sitting on the rudder of the ship or whether they had any supplies.

A police spokesman has now said that the migrants should be returned to Nigeria under stowaway laws, they said it was the ship operator's responsibility to take care of the stowaways and provide temporary accommodation until they are returned to their home.

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