Moroccan navy recovers bodies of 5 Senegalese migrants whose boat capsized and rescues 189 others

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The Moroccan navy has recovered the bodies of five Senegalese migrants and rescued 189 others after their boat capsized off the coast of Western Sahara. Official media say 11 other migrants are in critical condition and were taken to a hospital in the city of Dakhla. Their boat capsized Saturday off a village in the south of Western Sahara close to the border with Mauritania. It is believed they were trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands. Nearly 1,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first six months of 2023, according to the Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders. In recent years, most of the boats heading to Spain have come from Senegal or Morocco.