(ANSA) - RABAT, FEBRUARY 23 - Three migrants drowned and 47 others were rescued after their boat capsized off the coast of Western Sahara on Wednesday morning, according to what Moroccan authorities have learned.
The shipwreck occurred near the coast of the province of Oued Eddahab, an area of the western Sahara administered by Morocco.
The survivors were transferred to the Dakhla regional hospital to receive the necessary care, the same source said.
The navy and the Moroccan gendarmerie have started a search operation in the area to ascertain if there are any other survivors.
An investigation was also opened to determine the circumstances of the emigration attempt, probably directed to the Spanish archipelagos of the Canary Islands.
The Moroccan Navy reported the rescue of 376 migrants during several maritime operations during the first half of February.
(HANDLE).