Morocco’s navy rescued 141 African migrants aboard a boat that encountered difficulties while going from Mauritania to the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands.
The rescue occurred on Sunday, around 274 kilometers (170 miles) south-west of Dakhla in the Western Sahara desert.
According to Reuters and the Moroccan navy, the migrants fled the Mauritanian shore on February 10.
Last year, the Canary Islands welcomed approximately 32,000 migrants, the biggest amount since 2006.
In January, Spanish officials reported a continued increase in migrant landings to the islands, with the majority of boats coming from Mauritania.