Eleven migrants died after their rickety boat sank off the coast of southern Morocco , local media reported Saturday.

The tragedy occurred off the White Beach near Guelmim in the south of the kingdom.

Among the victims were "8 bodies of Moroccans (one female and seven males) who hail from the Guelmim region, in addition to 3 bodies of immigrants from sub-Saharan countries belonging to a couple and an infant under two years of age," according to the "Youm 24" news website.

The site added that a migrant who was on the boat was rescued.
It was not possible to obtain immediate confirmation from the Moroccan authorities regarding the sinking of the boat.

For its part, the electronic newspaper "Hespress" said that "an in-depth investigation has been opened into the circumstances and circumstances of the catastrophe and the identification of those involved in the illegal immigration process."

Morocco is located in the northwestern tip of Africa, and it is a transit country for many migrants, especially from sub-Saharan countries, who seek to reach Europe from its Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

According to a report by the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras in December, more than 11,200 migrants have died or gone missing since 2018 while trying to reach Spain from Morocco, an average of six per day.

The organization reported that the road between the northwest coast of Africa and the Canary Islands alone witnessed the deaths of 7,692 migrants.

Since late 2019, the number of migrants trying to cross the Atlantic towards Spain's Canary Islands has increased, with coast guard patrols in the Mediterranean intensifying.

However, irregular immigration declined in Spain by more than 25% in 2022, with a noticeable decrease, especially in the number of arrivals by sea, according to what the Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced in January.

The "largest decrease" in the number of irregular arrivals concerns the Canary Islands: 15,682 compared to 22,316 in 2021 (-29.7%).

The ministry explained the decline by increasing its cooperation with countries of origin and transit and strengthening "combating mafias involved in human trafficking." Cooperation was strengthened at the end of last year by turning the page on the diplomatic dispute between Spain and Morocco over the Western Sahara issue.