The number of migrants arriving in Spain by sea from North Africa doubled in 2017 from the year before, as thousands try to flee from conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. MADRID - Seven North African migrants died on Monday trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from Morocco in a small inflatable boat, Spanish authorities said. A rescue crew found five of the men dead in the boat drifting off Bastian beach on Lanzarote island, about 130km from the Moroccan coastline, while two other men died trying to swim for the coast. Authorities received an emergency call at about midday alerting them to the drifting boat and found the five dead bodies inside. The number of migrants arriving in Spain by sea from North Africa doubled in 2017 from the year before, as thousands try to flee from conflicts in Africa and the Middle East.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 16, 2018 14:26 UTC