Neither the Spanish rescue team nor Morocco, which took charge of the survivors, have confirmed the presence of any other passengers. She told Spanish broadcaster Canal Sur that the Spanish plane located the vessel — an inflatable raft — at around 8pm on Tuesday evening. They decided that it was for Morocco to intervene, but it was hours before they actually contacted the authorities there — and Morocco took hours more before acting, she added. At that point, said the broadcaster, the Spanish rescue ship was an hour away from the vessel in distress. But because of the strong currents and poor state of the vessels, many of them have foundered during the crossing.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 23, 2023 23:25 UTC