More than 500 irregular migrants rescued off Morocco

By Khalid Mejdoub and Safiye Karabacak

TANGIERS, Morocco

More than 500 irregular migrants who were trying to reach European shores from Morocco were rescued on Wednesday.

Moroccan Naval Forces rescued 110 irregular migrants in three boats after they sailed to the sea from Moroccan coasts, according to Moroccan security sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

On the other hand, Spain's Maritime Safety and Rescue Society said on its Twitter account on Wednesday that 399 irregular migrants in 29 boats were rescued during operations in the Strait of Gibraltar.

According to International Organization for Migration data, more than 50,000 irregular migrants reached Spain via Morocco in 2018. In the same period, nearly 1,500 irregular migrants either lost their lives or went missing.