Stowaway risks life as he balances on ferry propeller for two hours

A Moroccan migrant risked his life by balancing above the spinning propeller of a ferry boat for two hours in a bid to get a new life in Europe.

Omar Iziel, 20, put on a wetsuit and managed to climb above the propellers before the ferry set off from the city of Tangier in Morocco for the 20 mile trip to Spain, reports the Mirror.

He managed to cling on for two hours despite the cold and the erratic movements of the ship.

As the boat arrived in the Spanish town of Tarifa, boarder guards spotted the stowaway trying to smuggle his way into the country and arrested him as soon as he swam ashore.

Police confirmed that the Moroccan man did not have an entry visa and he is now set to be deported back to Morocco, reports the Express.

Spanish police spokesman Martial Portillo Alfaro, 43, said: "It was incredibly dangerous and if he had slipped it would have meant certain death.

However, Omar is not the first person to attempt this stunt.

"Yet it is an increasingly common way for people to try and enter the country: in fact this was the 31st person caught trying this trick so far this year."

Police are now checking vessels for stowaways as they come into port. They released the video of this failed attempt to warn people that they are aware of this ongoing stunt.

Alfaro added: "The disadvantage of this way of travel apart from being deadly is that they can't jump and swim to shore until the vessel stops otherwise they risk being sucked into the propellers.

"That makes it relatively easy to catch them once the vessel has docked."



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