Spain rescues 600 migrants in one day

Madrid, Aug 17 (IANS) The Spanish Coast Guard has said it rescued 600 migrants crossing from Morocco in a 24-hour period amid a spike in the number of arrivals, the media reported.

The rescued migrants on Wednesday were in 15 vessels including toy paddle-boats and a jet ski and included 35 children and a baby, reports the BBC.

According to UN figures, more than 9,000 people have arrived in Spain so far this year - three times as many as the previous year.

More than 120 people are believed to have drowned while attempting the crossing.

Most are sailing across the 12-km Strait of Gibraltar and many are choosing cheap, child-sized paddle boats without motors that allow them to bypass people smuggling networks and their fees.

Some migrants use social media to contact the Spanish authorities and inform them of their location once they are in territorial waters, the BBC reported.

However, a much larger number - nearly 100,000 - have crossed from Libya to Italy since the start of the year. The IOM says 2,242 people have died on that route, the International Organisation for Migration said.

In June, about 5,000 people were rescued in one day in the Mediterranean off Libya.

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