Moroccan navy recovers bodies of 5 Senegalese migrants whose boat capsized and rescues 189 others

RABAT, Morocco — The Moroccan navy has recovered the bodies of five Senegalese migrants and rescued 189 others after their boat capsized off the coast of Western Sahara, official media reported.

A military official said 11 other migrants were in critical condition and were taken to Hassan II hospital in the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara, Morocco's official news agency MAP reported.

Their boat capsized Saturday off Guerguerat, a village in the south of Western Sahara close to the border with Mauritania, the unidentified official said. It is believed they were trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands.

Nearly 1,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first six months of 2023, according to the Spanish migrant rights group Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders).

In recent years, most of the boats heading to Spain have come from Senegal or Morocco.