58 Sub-Saharan migrants arrested on their Way to Canary Islands

Security services arrested, on Sunday off the coast of the province of Laayoune, 58 irregular migrants, including 11 women, on their way to the Canary Islands, said local authorities, adding that all of them are from sub-Saharan countries.

According to local authorities, the migrants were taken by the Royal Navy to the port of Laayoune.

In recent weeks, rescue missions have intensified, as more migrants take on the dangerous Atlantic route towards the Canary Islands.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said at least 250 migrants died on the long and treacherous Canary Islands route in the first six months of 2021, with arrivals increasing by 156 percent compared with the same period last year.