Corpse, wearing a wetsuit and rubber ring, found in waters off Estepona - the fourth in a month

The body, which is thought to have been in the water for some time given its state of decomposition, was recovered by a maritime rescue service vessel

30/09/2026 Actualizado a las 19:30h.

A further body has been found around 11 miles south-east of Estepona, wearing a wetsuit and an inflatable ring. This is the fourth body ... to have been found off the coast of the province in less than a month in similar circumstances; in all cases, the evidence points to migrants attempting to swim to the mainland.

The alert was raised on Tuesday evening following a call from a pleasure craft sailing in the area, which reported the sighting to the maritime rescue coordination centre in Tarifa. The Helimer 222 helicopter - which was carrying out a training exercise in the vicinity - and the Salvamar Gadir were immediately mobilised, and the Salvamar Gadir eventually recovered the body.

The officers transported the body to the port of Estepona, where the Guardia Civil took charge of its custody and the legal proceedings. According to sources close to the case, consulted by this newspaper, the body was that of a man who may have been in the water for some time, given the state of decomposition the body was in.

The previous case took place last Saturday, 26 September, when a patrol boat from the Guardia Civil’s maritime service found another body out at sea in an advanced state of decomposition; some parts were even missing, including the head, due to the length of time it had been in the water.

The officers recovered the body and took it to the port of Fuengirola, from where it was transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML) in Malaga for a post-mortem examination.

A few days earlier, in the middle of September, two further bodies were discovered within a span of just 24 hours. The first was found on the afternoon of 15 September, adrift off the western Costa del Sol, and was also taken to the port of Fuengirola. The following day, 16 September, another body was found in the Nerja area and taken to the port of Vélez-Málaga. This victim was wearing a wetsuit, flippers and a rubber ring, and carried several mobile phones and Moroccan dirhams.