Surveillance in the Algarve region has been increased "following the disembarkation of irregular migrants" on Boca do Rio beach, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, Faro district, according to a joint statement released by the two entities.

The Portuguese Navy and the National Maritime Authority have decided to reinforce "surveillance and control of maritime areas, through patrols at sea and on land," along the Algarve coast.

The "joint and coordinated planning of resources" aims to "ensure increased capacity in detecting and intercepting vessels that may attempt to illegally access national territory by sea," authorities emphasize.

The Portuguese Navy and the National Maritime Authority also ask for "the public's collaboration," requesting that they contact the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre or the Local Maritime Police Command if they observe "suspicious vessels or unusual movements along the Portuguese coast."

All 38 migrants who disembarked on Boca do Rio beach, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, are Moroccan nationals, a GNR source told Lusa, specifying that among the seven minors is a 12-month-old baby.

"We presume they may have originated in North Africa, directly in Morocco, since all the identified citizens are Moroccan," Major Ilídio Barreiros, of the GNR's Coastal and Border Control Unit, told Lusa.

The 38 migrants who landed on that beach in the Faro district are 25 men, six women, and seven minors, ranging in age from 12 months to 44 years, the same source explained.

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