Four suspected illegal migrants were caught on Sunday, trying to sneak into Europe by hiding inside a car as it crossed into the Spanish North African territory of Melilla.
Two of the people reportedly from sub-Saharan Africa were hiding in the car’s boot, a woman was found under the dashboard and another was found under the bonnet.
According to Spanish daily, La Vanguardia the driver and a passenger were also detained.
The suspected migrants reportedly entered Spanish territory at the Beni-Enzar border crossing between Melilla and Morocco.
The car sped through security controls before the driver and his passenger dumped it outside a petrol station and fled.
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They were both arrested, however, and the suspected migrants were soon found inside.
It was also reported that two police officers who intercepted the suspected migrants had to be treated for injuries. One after taking a blow to the knee, the other after being hit in the hand.
Melilla and Ceuta, another Spanish enclave nearly 250 miles away on the north coast of Africa, are often used as entry points into Europe for African migrants.
They have the only two land borders between Africa and the European Union.
Over the years, thousands of migrants have attempted to cross the 7.5-mile frontier between Melilla and Morocco, or the 5-mile border at Ceuta, by climbing the border fences, swimming along the coast or hiding in vehicles.
Spain is increasingly targeted by people keen to reach Europe from Africa, with the number of African migrants getting into the country in 2017 hitting a record high of nearly 22,900, according to EU border agency Frontex.
