RABAT, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy on Friday rescued 57 Spain-bound migrants off the North African country's Atlantic coast, official news agency MAP reported.

The migrants, including 54 sub-Saharan and 3 Bangladeshis, were heading to the Spanish Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

They were intercepted 47 miles off the Moroccan port of Tarfaya, the report said, adding that the rescued people, some of whom were in bad health condition, received the necessary care before being handed over for the usual administrative procedures.

Morocco has become a hub for African migrants who seek to reach Europe.

According to the official statistics, Moroccan army units arrested about 87,000 undocumented migrants in 2023, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa.

A new migration route that runs through the West African Atlantic coasts to the Spanish Canary Islands attracted more migrants in 2023.

The Spanish Commission for Refugees said migrant arrivals to the islands increased by 140 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. Enditem

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