One of the survivors said 71 people were aboard the boat when it left Morocco.
Spanish officials said 14 bodies have been recovered from the sea so far, while 17 others - 14 men and three woman- have been pulled alive from the water off the coast of the Moroccan port of Alhucemas.
Some of survivors rescued from the sea were said to be in need of "urgent medical assistance." Authorities in both Spain and Morocco are continuing with operations aimed at rescuing any possible survivors and recovering bodies.
A massive search was launched for the boat on Wednesday after authorities received information that the vessel had left Morocco and was heading to Spain. Media reports suggested that the authorities were tipped off by a family member of a passenger on the boat.
Ammari Hasan, the representative of the human rights association in the northeastern town of Uxda, told Efe that the figure of 35 passengers had been confirmed by several different sources.
If that number is correct, it would leave four of the sub-Saharan migrants aboard the craft unaccounted for.
The Moroccan government has made no mention of the accident, while the official MAP news agency has reported only that one African migrant was rescued at sea and brought to a hospital in Alhucemas in grave condition.
Authorities from both countries began searching for the boat on Wednesday after a tip from someone who feared for the safety of a family member aboard the craft, Spanish officials told Efe.
The boat was subsequently located by a Spanish coast guard plane some 18 miles off the Moroccan coast on Thursday afternoon. Some of those in the water managed to climb into a inflatable raft dropped by the aircraft, which also alerted vessels from both Spain and Morocco about the location of the ill-fated boat.
The Maritime Rescue plane remained in the area to search for additional survivors or victim
Such accidents involving African migrant boats are common in the area, as thousands of illegal African migrants attempt to reach Europe for a better life by crossing the Mediterranean Sea in flimsy boats and dinghies every year.
Until recently, the coveted destination for most African migrants was the Spanish mainland or Spain's Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa. Nevertheless, there had been an distinct reduction in the flow of African migrants to Spain in recent years, mostly due to Madrid's increased cooperation with Morocco and other African countries to tackle the issue.
Friday 26 October 2012
http://www.rttnews.com/1991338/at-least-14-killed-as-migrant-boat-sinks-off-morocco.aspx?type=msgn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=618497&CategoryId=12395
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