THE Spanish Maritime Rescue has recovered two boats carrying a total of 85 people in the Alboran sea.
On board the boats, 82 people, including eight women, were found alive, while the bodies of three men were also recovered.
A notice was first received by the Salvamento Maritimo in the early hours of this morning that two boats had been spotted in the vicinity of the Alboran Island.
The first boat was found 7 miles southeast of the Alboran carrying 50 people, while the second had 35 on board, including the three deceased individuals.
Imágenes del rescate por la GUARDAMAR POLIMNIA de la patera que ya empezaba a estar semihundida con 50 personas en el Mar de Alborán. Posteriormente ha recogido otra con 35 personas, entre ellos 3 cadáveres y varios afectados por hipotermia pic.twitter.com/ytNtBlW786
— SALVAMENTO MARÍTIMO (@salvamentogob) February 9, 2018
All of those found on board the boats have now been transferred to the port of Almeria.
Humanitarian organisations are reporting that three crafts left the port of Bouyafart, in the north of Morocco carrying people of ‘Sub-Saharan origin’.
Emergency Services are currently searching for the third boat, believed to be carrying a further 40 people.
