A Royal Navy unit of coast guards, on a maritime patrol mission, assisted 81 would-be immigrants on Monday in waters located 280 km southwest of the city of Dakhla, according to a press release from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).
The sub-Saharan migrants had braved harsh weather and rough seas on a journey seeking a better life in the Canary Islands.
The patrol provided essential assistance to those in need, addressing the safety and well-being of everybody onboard, according to the release, and they were subsequently handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for routine processing.
Hundreds of illegal immigrants heading to European destinations accessible from the Kingdom’s coasts are routinely intercepted by Morocco’s coastguard and army troops.