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Africa North

Morocco navy rescues more than 400 Europe-bound migrants

2021-08-25

[AlAhram]... The Moroccan navy has rescued more than 400 ~~migrants~~ colonists since Thursday, after their makeshift boats ran into trouble on the dangerous sea crossing to Europe, state media reported.

The 438 ~~migrants~~ colonists, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, were given first aid before being taken to the nearest Moroccan port, an officer told the state-run MAP news agency late Monday.

MAP also reported that Moroccan authorities on Sunday intercepted 58 ~~migrants~~ colonists, including 11 women, off Laayoune in Western Sahara.

Also from sub-Saharan Africa, these ~~migrants~~ colonists had attempted to cross to the Canary Islands, it said.

Earlier this month, a merchant ship rescued 33 ~~migrants~~ colonists who had spent two weeks adrift in the Atlantic Ocean en route for the Canary Islands. Fourteen fellow ~~migrants~~ colonists bit the dust.

Migrant arrivals on the Spanish archipelago have surged since late 2019 when increased patrols in the Mediterranean dramatically reduced crossings there.

At its shortest, the sea crossing from the Moroccan coast is around 100 kilometres (65 miles), but strong currents make it very dangerous.

The vessels used are often overcrowded and in poor condition, adding to the risks.

In the first six months of this year, a total of 2,087 ~~migrants~~ colonists died trying to reach Spain, according to Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish NGO that monitors migrant flows.

Posted by:trailing wife

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