Moroccan Royal Navy Coast Guard says, it has intercepted 257 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean and the Atlantic to Europe between last Saturday and Tuesday.
A military source in the North African country revealed this to newsmen, noting that they were “on board makeshift boats, kayaks and even swimming.”
According to report, the majority of the migrants were Africans, having women and children amidst them, as well as an Afghan and a Yemeni.
The military source, however, disclosed that the Europe-bound migrants were brought “safe and sound” to land after receiving the necessary treatment.
The rescue operations brought to save them two weeks after the attempted forced crossing of nearly 2,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Melilla on 24 June.
According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, more than 40,000 migrants, mostly from Morocco, arrived in Spain in 2021 by sea.
In the first five months of 2022, arrivals increased by 12% compared to 2021 but the recent regulation of diplomatic relations with Morocco has led to a decrease in recent weeks.