The body of a man in his 50s has been found floating off the coast of Fuengirola.
The grisly discovery was made on Monday night after the corpse was spotted around five nautical miles south of the Costa del Sol town.
It was found by the crew of a boat sailing in the area at around 11pm, although news of the incident has only emerged today.
The crew alerted the authorities, prompting an immediate response from the Guardia Civil.
A patrol boat from the force’s Maritime Service was dispatched to the scene and recovered the body before transporting it to Fuengirola port.
Once ashore, officers from the Judicial Police activated the relevant judicial protocol and began an investigation.
Sources close to the case said the body was in an advanced state of decomposition and is believed to belong to a Caucasian man aged around 55.
Based on the initial examination, investigators do not currently believe the deceased was a migrant involved in an attempted crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar.
The body has been transferred to the Instituto de Medicina Legal, where forensic specialists will carry out a post-mortem examination.
The autopsy is expected to establish the cause of death and may provide information that helps investigators identify the deceased.
At this stage, authorities have not released any further details and the investigation remains ongoing.
