Teen migrants found hiding in car seat, dashboard in attempted smuggling

Two teen migrants from Africa tried to smuggle themselves across the Spanish border hidden inside the dashboard and under the back seats of a car — but their scheme was foiled when authorities used a “heartbeat detection machine” to find them, according to a new report.

The teens, 17 and 19, from the Sub-Saharan nation of Guinea, were attempting to enter Melilla, a Spanish enclave in north Africa bordering Morocco, when Spain’s Guardia Civil authorities stopped the car for a routine check, the Daily Mail reported.

Officers decided to investigate further when they found “physical anomalies” in the vehicle, according to the report.

Authorities employed a “heartbeat detection machine” — which confirmed that there were people hiding inside, the outlet reported.

Then they conducted a thorough sweep of the car — finding the 17-year-old sprawled across the entire interior of the dashboard and the 19-year-old lying flat across the rear seats, the Mail reported.

The teens were packed so tightly into the not-so-hidden compartments that police needed to cut parts of the vehicle to get them out, the outlet reported.

Both were treated at the scene for dehydration and numbness, according to the report. They’d also been exposed to vehicle fumes as they lay cramped in their hiding places.

None of the injuries were severe enough to warrant further treatment.

Both were taken to migrant detention facilities in Melilla, according to the report.

The driver, a 30-year-old Moroccan man, was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, the outlet reported.

Migrant border crossings are common in Melilla — which, along with the other Spanish enclave of Ceuta — is a European territory that shares a land border with the African continent.