Units of the Royal Moroccan Navy were able to rescue 68 illegal immigrants, including two bodies, who were on board a boat off the coast of the city of Dakhla, southwest of Morocco.
The General Command of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces stated in a statement that the immigrants are from sub-Saharan African countries, and they started their journey on August 5 with the aim of reaching the Canary Islands.
The authorities explained that the rescue operation took place 16 kilometers from the coast of Dakhla, where first aid was provided to the immigrants immediately after their rescue.
The survivors were transferred to the port of Dakhla, where they were handed over to the competent security authorities to follow up on the necessary procedures.
On January 23, the Moroccan Ministry of Interior announced that it had thwarted 75,184 irregular immigration attempts during 2023, an increase of 6 percent compared to 2022.
The ministry said in a statement at the time that “more than 419 human trafficking networks were dismantled during the past year (2023), an increase of 44 percent compared to 2022.”
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