RABAT, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan navy on early Saturday rescued 161 migrants in the Mediterranean who were trying to reach Spain.
The migrants, mostly sub-Saharan nationals, were trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar aboard small boats that were in trouble in the Mediterranean, said the Moroccan official news agency MAP quoting a military source.
The migrants, have received the necessary health care by the Moroccan navy units, it said, adding that they were brought safe to the Moroccan Mediterranean ports.
Morocco has become a hub for African migrants who seek to reach Europe for a better life.
Thousands of migrants try to flee poverty and unrest in Africa each year via Morocco to Europe, either by land into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla or by sea often in flimsy vessels.
According to the Moroccan authorities over 40,300 illegal immigration attempt have been foiled in the first six months of 2019.
