Five migrants die near the Moroccan coast and 180 others rescued

Five migrants have died near Morocco’s northern coast, trying to reach for Spain, reports AFP on Thursday quoting the Spanish coastguard which has recued 180 others.

This rescue operation is the second of its kind carried out by the Spanish authorities which managed to rescue 14 migrants who were on an inflatable boat near the Gibraltar territorial waters heading to Cadiz, a coastal city in southern Spain.

The deceased migrants were found dead in the waters located 40 kilometers away from the Moroccan coast when the rescuers arrived on site, a spokeswoman told the same source. 185 migrants in total carried by five boats were rescued since Wednesday evening. One of the rescued died of a cardiac arrest.

According to the French news agency, the Spanish coastguards are still searching for two other boasts suspected to carry 45 migrants.

Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities announced that they have arrested 19 people accused of illegally transporting migrants through the Strait of Gibraltar route using jet skis and inflatable boats.

In a statement, the police suggests that the migrants are allegedly forced to pay 4,000 Euros for crossing the Mediterranean and an extra 500 Euros if the migrant needs lodging when arriving in Spain.