Spain rescues 119 migrants at sea, searches for 67 missing

Spain has rescued 119 migrants from sea and was looking for 67 ors still missing from a boat that was trying to reach European shores, maritime authorities said.

A spokesman with Spain's Maritime Rescue ncy said search for missing rubber boat in stretch of Mediterranean Sea separating Spain from Morocco h been suspended for night y and was to resume Tuesday.

official, who was t authorized to be named in media reports, said dinghy was believed to be in Morocco's rescue area.

He said two or rubber boats h been found in area kwn as Alborán Sea with 60 and 59 migrants from Africa, and that all of m would be disembarked in Spain's souastern city of Málaga. migrants, including 26 women and five children, were in good health, spokesman said.

Refugees fleeing violence and migrants fleeing poverty look for a new life in Europe by setting off on dangerous trips by sea from African coasts.

Spain became main entry point into Europe for migrants in 2018 but saw number of arrivals halved last year to 26,168. Recently it has seen an uptick in number of boats heing to Canary Islands, which lie in Atlantic Ocean off Africa's rastern coast.

Morocco received 140 million euros ($155 million) in European Union funds in 2019 to crack down on illegal migrant crossings.