6 migrants drown off Moroccan coast

Six migrants drowned and 10 others were rescued after their boat sank off Morocco's northern coast on Monday, authorities said.

Among them, four migrants were Moroccans, authorities of the northern Tangier Tetouan Al Hoceima region were cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The rescued were sent to a hospital, an official said, adding that an investigation was underway to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.

Morocco has become a hub for African migrants who seek to reach Europe for a better life. Thousands of migrants are trying to flee poverty and unrest in Africa each year via Morocco to Europe, either by land into Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish ports in the Moroccan territory, or by sea to Spain or Italy, often in flimsy vessels.

According to Morocco's Interior Ministry, security forces arrested some 50,000 illegal migrants in 2017 and dismantled over 70 organized illegal migration networks.

--IANS

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