According to the source, the authorities are now carrying out steps to ascertain the nationality and ages of the eight young people - transported to the Vila Real de Santo António Maritime Police station near Faro - who claim to be Moroccans, but who do not have any documents.

In a statement to Lusa, the harbour master said that the young men, all aged between 16 and 20, were found hiding in the dunes at the beach, after an alert from locals but they did not seem to require special care and only said they were hungry.

According to the source, the young people claim that they come from the city of El Jadida in Morocco and that they spent five days at sea until they landed on the beach near Faro.

In December 2007, the authorities detected a group of 19 immigrants allegedly coming from Morocco in the Ria Formosa, near Olhão, in what was the first incident of its kind recorded on the Portuguese coast.