Relatives of Bolivians from the ship docked in Barcelona claim that "they are the victims"

The company assures that the documentation "seemed appropriate" at the time of shipment in Brazil

BARCELONA, 3 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Several relatives of the 69 Bolivian passengers who are on the MSC Armonía ship docked in the Port of Barcelona have explained that "it is an injustice that they are kept locked up, they are the victims."

They said this in statements to Europa Press this Wednesday, in which they explained that the ship left Brazil about two weeks ago and made several stops, including in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Malaga, and this Tuesday at 6 a.m. they arrived. To Barcelona.

In Barcelona, ​​all the ship's passengers tried to get off, but the 69 people of Bolivian nationality were told that their visas were not valid for their entry into the Schengen area.

"My cousin hired a travel agency to organize the cruise and visa for him, and he paid a lot, a lot of money. He has been to Santa Cruz de Tenerife and had no problems, he even sent me photos and then they got back on the boat "In Malaga they realized that the visa was false," lamented Mauricio, who is waiting at the doors of Terminal C for his family member to get off along with other family members.

Lorena, of Bolivian origin who lives in Girona, has assured that "all those people on the ship have been deceived", while Dolores has denied that her mother wanted to arrive in Barcelona illegally to stay here, in her words.

"All those people did not want to come undocumented. They paid a lot of money to be able to travel. It makes no sense to keep them locked up there," complained Dolores, who came by train from Madrid to be able to receive her mother.

Miguel, after speaking on the phone with his partner who is on the ship, believes that the other passengers have been changed ships, because this Wednesday afternoon the Bolivians are alone inside: "If my partner knew it was false, do you think he would have come?"

Furthermore, he explained that they are negotiating with the Bolivian Consulate to find a solution, although they are still "waiting to know what happened and how long they have to stay there", to which the relevant court has not yet ruled.

Two Bolivian women, who do not have relatives on the boat, came this Wednesday afternoon with sandwiches so that relatives could eat, and they also distributed salads from the supermarket.

In a statement, the company has indicated that the documentation "seemed" appropriate at the time of boarding of the passengers in Brazil, but that the authorities of the Port of Barcelona have not considered it so.

"As a result, the passengers have not been able to disembark in Barcelona, ​​which was their final destination," explained MSC, adding that the ship remains docked at the Port while working with the authorities to resolve the incident.

In another statement, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry has explained that there are 69 passengers affected and that both the country's Embassy in Spain and the Consulate General in Barcelona are taking steps to address the case.

The Bolivian authorities are working together with the Spanish authorities and MSC Cruises, and are providing assistance to the affected passengers "for the respect of their Human Rights", while the Barcelona duty court has not received information yet, according to judicial sources.