Europe
African migrants found dead off Morocco coast
Spanish coast guard recovers 14 bodies and rescues 17 people, while search continues for as many as 70 more passengers.
Last Modified: 26 Oct 2012 05:58

Spain's maritime rescue service has found 14 bodies in the sea and rescued 17 people after a boat carrying migrants from Morocco began to sink in the Mediterranean.

Search operations are continuing because one of the migrants said about 70 people had been on the boat, a rescue official told the Associated Press on Friday.

A coast guard plane spotted the boat on Thursday afternoon following a tip that it had left Morocco and was heading to Spain. Those on the boat are believed to be from sub-Saharan Africa.

Each year thousands of suspected illegal immigrants from Africa try to reach Europe by setting sail in small, fragile boats.

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Source:
Associated Press
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