RABAT: Morocco’s navy has seized more than 50 African migrants near southwestern coast while attempting to cross into Spain, official media reported on Tuesday.
According to the report citing a military source, the naval patrolling unit conducted the operation near the coast of Tantan.
The migrants were trying to enter the Canary Islands of Spain which are hardly 150 kilometers (93 miles) away from Morocco.
Spain a desired destination for African migrants
The Spanish islands have long been attracting migrants from Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Senegal, looking for a better life in Europe.
On Monday a military source told state news agency MAP that Moroccan navy recovered the bodies of five migrants and rescued 189 others after their boat overturned in Western Sahara.
Non-governmental organizations frequently report deaths in Moroccan and Spanish waters.
In July at least 13 Senegalese migrants died in mid-July when their boat capsized near the coast of Morocco.
According to the data of Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, 778 people died in the first half of 2023 while trying to reach Spanish Island.
Moroccan authorities said they thwarted 26,000 irregular migration efforts in the first five months of the current year.
Atlantic crossings have been on the rise since 2019 after reduction in navy and coast guard patrols along Europe’s southern coast.
