Morocco: The Moroccan Navy has carried out a daring rescue operation, saving 141 migrants aboard a fragile boat off the Atlantic coast, as reported by the media, citing a statement from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.
Among those rescued were three women and two minors, all hailing from sub-Saharan African countries. Battling adverse weather conditions, the Navy executed a 15-hour-long operation to bring the migrants to safety, according to the statement released on Sunday.
Setting sail from the Mauritanian coast on February 10 with hopes of reaching the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, the migrants encountered distress when their vessel became stranded approximately 274 km off the port of Dakhla.
Upon receiving a distress signal from the migrants, Moroccan authorities swiftly intervened, intercepting the call for help.
Following the rescue, the migrants were provided with necessary care and then transferred to the Royal Gendarmerie for standard administrative procedures, as stated in the release.
Official statistics reveal that in 2023 alone, the Moroccan Army apprehended around 87,000 undocumented migrants, the majority of whom hailed from sub-Saharan regions.
