The Moroccan navy rescued 122 Spain-bound migrants off the North African country's Atlantic coast, official news agency MAP reported on Monday.

An overcrowded boat carrying 122 sub-Saharan migrants, including one minor and a dead body, was intercepted by a Moroccan coast guard unit about 190 km off the Moroccan port of Dakhla, the report said.

The rescued individuals, some of whom were in poor health, were provided essential care before undergoing the standard administrative procedures, according to the report.

Morocco has become a hub for African migrants who seek to reach Europe.

According to the official statistics, Moroccan army units arrested about 87,000 undocumented migrants in 2023, with the majority originating from sub-Saharan Africa.