A Spanish police speedboat chased down and ran over the top of a small inflatable vessel carrying four migrants off the coast of Morocco — sending them flying into the water and outraging local activists, according to stunning footage and reports.
The small migrant dinghy was cruising near Horcas Coloradas Beach in Melilla, a Spanish territory of northern Africa, on Sunday when the much larger Guardia Civil boat tried to block its path to the shoreline, according to the Telegraph.
The police boat then plowed into the inflatable vessel and skimmed over the top of it in a jaw-dropping move fit for an action movie, the footage shows.
Four migrants were tossed into the sea but quickly rescued and one was briefly hospitalized in the nearby city of Nador, the paper reported.
The migrants — who had allegedly been trying to enter the country “irregularly” — were later arrested, Spanish cops told The Guardian.
Local activists and elected officials demanded an investigation into whether the chase was properly handled.
Aina Vidal, a parliamentary spokesman for Spain’s left-wing coalition government of Sumar, called the collision an “intolerable human disaster.”
Jon Iñarritu, of the leftwing political group EH Bildu, also condemned the “savage deed.”
The area is one of two enclaves on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast where the European Union shares a land border with Africa.
It has been hit by waves of attempted migrant crossings in recent years.
