A migrant has been tackled to the ground at a beach in a British holiday hotspot after a speedboat carrying around a dozen young men reached Spanish shores and stunned holidaymakers.
The vessel approached the crowded beach at Sotillo Beach in Castell de Ferro about 2pm, where those onboard lept into the Mediterranean waters before stunned onlookers.
The men swam towards the shoreline and attempted to scatter across the beach.
Their arrival transformed the peaceful coastal resort into a scene of pandemonium as the migrants tried to evade capture.
Social media footage captured the dramatic moments as the migrants abandoned their vessel and plunged into the sea, desperately swimming towards the Spanish coast.
Furious beachgoers immediately pursued the fleeing men, with several locals successfully restraining them on the sand.
Video evidence reveals a man wearing only swimming trunks forcefully holding down one of the migrants whilst the detained individual appeared to plead for release.
Multiple citizens participated in preventing the men from escaping, successfully taking down several individuals before police could respond.
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|The men are dropped off at the beach
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|Migrant is tackled to the ground
Whilst some migrants managed to evade capture, others found themselves surrounded and restrained by determined holidaymakers.
The spontaneous citizen response resulted in numerous detentions, with locals maintaining control over the men until official law enforcement arrived at the scene.
Restaurant proprietor Alberto Garcia witnessed the entire episode unfold, describing the experience as "surreal" to local media.
"We all stood there staring, not quite knowing what was happening," he recounted.
"We thought it was a recreational boat, but when we saw that they started throwing objects into the water and people starting to get out, we realised it wasn't normal."
Garcia expressed astonishment at the vessel's unhurried approach.
"What surprised us most was that the boat was moving very slowly, as if they weren't in a hurry or afraid," he explained.
"They went in where there were most people, as if nothing had happened, and stopped five metres from the shore."
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|The men are seen swimming to the shore
The coordinated response involved multiple agencies working together to apprehend the arrivals.
"The lifeguards alerted us, and we managed to catch one on the street. Then we helped identify two more," Polica Local de Castell de Ferro officials stated.
"The Civil Guard did the bulk of the work and managed to arrest nine."
Authorities confirmed that 13 individuals, thought to be Moroccan nationals, had disembarked from the vessel.
According to observers, the men employed various tactics upon reaching land, with some sprinting along the beach whilst others attempted to merge inconspicuously with the tourist crowds.
The incident mirrored similar events from the previous summer, when exhausted migrants traversed a popular British tourist beach.