The Moroccan coastguard has been providing assistance since Friday to some 330 migrants "
in difficulty aboard various makeshift boats
" in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the MAP news agency reported on Monday (November 15th), citing a military source.
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Among the 331 "
harragas
" (migrants) rescued, are 248 people from sub-Saharan Africa, 80 Moroccan nationals, two "
Asians
" and one Sudanese, details the same source. The passengers "
received first aid on board units of the Royal Navy before being transported to the nearest ports, then handed over to the elements of the gendarmerie for the usual administrative procedures
", adds the source, without further clarification. .
Departures from the Moroccan coasts to Europe have recently increased, via maritime routes in the Atlantic or the Mediterranean, despite the strengthening of controls.
At least four Moroccan migrants who were trying to reach Europe, including two young women, perished at sea last week near Rabat, according to local authorities.
Frequent dramas
The latter claimed to have prevented several attempts at crossings to European coasts, in particular to the Canary Islands, and carried out dozens of arrests of illegal migrants in the southern provinces of the kingdom.
In addition, two migrants were found dead Monday among about 40 who were aboard a drifting boat off the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, AFP learned from the Spanish coast guard.
Departing from Dakhla, in Western Sahara, this boat was carrying 42 people of North African origin, including a woman, said a spokesperson for the coast guard.
These tragedies are frequent on this dangerous route in the Atlantic between the northwest of Africa and the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries.
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A total of 32,713 immigrants arrived by sea in Spain between January and October, 24.2% more than over the same period in 2020, according to figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
According to estimates at the end of September by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2021 was the deadliest year on the migration route to Spain, with at least 1,025 dead.