Four Moroccan migrants attempting to reach the European Union drowned in the Atlantic Ocean, officials and relatives said on Friday.
Three other migrants were rescued after their vessel sank off Skheirat south of Rabat, on Thursday, AFP reports.
Officials continue to search for any other survivors, as the migrants’ ship was believed to have a capacity of up to 20 people.
According to fishermen in the area, the coast between Rabat and Casablanca is a regular jumping-off point for migrants trying to reach mainland Spain.
Along Morocco’s southern coasts, the goal is usually Spain’s Canary Islands.
On Friday, Laayoune authorities detained 106 would-be migrants as they prepared to brave the sea.
A total of 27,136 migrants reached Spain between January and the end of September, a 53.8 percent spike from the same period last year, according to Spanish interior ministry figures.
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