Madrid, Septemeber 24 (RHC)-- A Royal Navy patrol boat of Morocco has intercepted on the coast of the southern town of Tan Tan a boat with 54 migrants of sub-Saharan origin on board, who were intended to reach the Canary Islands.

According to a statement by the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), the vessel was intercepted some 83 kilometres north-west of the port of Tan Tan, and among its occupants were seven women and one minor.

According to the same source, the rescued persons received the necessary medical care and were taken to the local port and then handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for normal administrative procedures.

According to the latest data from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, the authorities of the Maghreb country aborted a total of 45,015 attempts to emigrate undocumented people to Europe in the first nine months of 2024.

Of these, 10,589 were rescued by sea and the vast majority are from West African countries.