Spain saves over 500 migrants attempting Mediterranean journey

Spain's maritime rescue service saved 532 migrants making the perilous sea journey across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa. 

Eight small boats carrying 239 migrants were rescued off Spain's southern coast on Sunday, just one day after nine ships carrying 293 migrants were rescued. 

Three of the boats sank on Sunday just after the migrants were rescued due to their "poor state", the maritime rescue service tweeted. 

Favourable weather in the Strait of Gibraltar appears to have sparked the surge in sea crossings.

Tens of thousands of migrants attempt to reach southern European countries by crossing the Mediterranean. Most of the boats are unfit for the journey and thousands drown each year. 

Italy is the busiest gateway for migrants arriving, followed by Greece. But the number making the journey to Spain is growing fast.

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Many are increasingly foregoing the Libya to Italy route to avoid the war-torn country, instead choosing to make the journey from Morocco to Spain. 

The EU last year also reached controversial agreements with chaos-wracked Libya to stem the flow of migrants from that country, following a more comprehensive deal with Turkey in 2016, which sharply reduced the number of people crossing to Greece.

More than 22,400 people arrived in Spain last year by sea, nearly triple the 2016 figure. Some 223 people died along the way. 

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