Nearly 70 migrants dead after boat sinks off Morocco

KABUL (Pajhwok): Sixty-nine people, including 25 Malian nationals, have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Morocco, say media reports.

The boat was en route from West Africa to Spain, Malian authorities confirmed. The makeshift vessel, carrying around 80 people, capsized during the journey.

Only 11 survivors were rescued, as reported by the Ministry of Malians Abroad in a statement on Thursday, according to CNN.

The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, commonly used by African migrants trying to reach Spain, has seen a sharp increase in activity this year.

This route, which follows the coasts of Mauritania and Morocco toward Spain, is one of the deadliest in the world.

Migration rights group Walking Borders reported in June that nearly 5,000 migrants died at sea in the first five months of 2024 while attempting to reach the Spanish archipelago.

aw/sa