RHIB chase ends in fire and four arrests

A Gibraltarian man was among four people arrested by the Guardia Civil after their rigid-hulled inflatable boat caught fire during a chase.

The RHIB, which was loaded with canisters of fuel but was not carrying any illicit substances, was chased down the Spanish coastline from about 10 miles off Malaga toward the Strait of Gibraltar.

According to a Guardia Civil statement, its occupants ignored repeated warnings to stop and engaged in "high risk" evasive manoeuvres.

The RHIB was finally intercepted several miles southeast of Europa Point after one of its engines caught fire just as a Guardia Civil RHIB was moving in close to try and board the suspect vessel.

Its occupants dived into the sea and were picked up by the Guardia Civil crew, who also called for a Spanish maritime rescue tug to attend the scene.

The tug extinguished the fire and towed the damaged RHIB to Algeciras.

The four occupants were arrested on suspicion of obstructing law enforcement agencies.

According to the Guardia Civil, three were from La Linea and one was from Gibraltar.

Photos: Guardia Civil