Man hides inside car engine to sneak into Spain

A West African migrant entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco by hiding in a car engine while another migrant was hiding behind the back seat of the Mercedes S300 car, says BBC.

Guardia Civil border police found the pair late on Sunday during a customs check at El Tarajal, near the Moroccan border.

One of the asylum seekers, thought to be from Guinea, West Africa, was found in a special compartment under the car bonnet as it crossed into the Spanish enclave.

It is not clear how long the man in the engine compartment had been inhaling noxious fumes for. He was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of the intense heat and petrol fumes and doctors said he could have died if he had been there much longer.

The two illegal migrants did not have any papers, and were identified in the statement only as “TD and AB from Guinea Conakry”. The car they were traveling in had false number plates.

They are also under official investigations now.

Ceuta and Melilla are tiny Spanish enclaves on the North African coast, which have erected formidable border fences to keep out illegal migrants.

The fences have led some migrants to resort to extreme methods to get into Spain, such as swimming into the ports or even hiding in suitcases.

Last month, a Moroccan man suffocated to death in a suitcase after his brother tried to smuggle him to mainland Spain aboard a ferry from Melilla, adds the BBC.