Morocco navy picks up 242 migrants in Mediterranean

The Moroccan navy has picked up 242 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, who were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Spain in flimsy boats, the official MAP press agency reported late on Friday.

It said the migrants, including 50 women and 12 children, were rescued from several inflatable boats which had got into difficulty.

"The migrants, some of whom were unwell, were taken safely to port," the news agency said.

So far this year, more than 15,000 such migrants have made it to Spain, 12,000 by the sea route, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates.

More than 200 have died in the attempt.

Aiming to halt the migrant influx, the European Union last year gave Morocco 140 million euros to support efforts to curb human traffickers.