Four Moroccan migrants found dead on southern Spanish coast

The bodies of four Moroccan migrants were discovered near their boat on the southern coast of Spain on Wednesday, a police source told AFP.

The four men were discovered, apparently drowned, near the boat which was carrying 32 other Moroccan migrants who landed on beaches near Cadiz, the source said.

Four of the migrants who survived the journey were found in a state of hypothermia and one of them was hospitalised.

The vice president of the Spanish government and Minister of Labour, Yolanda Diaz, said she was "horrified by this information" and called on Europe to act, in a message on X, formerly Twitter.

Spanish police have opened an enquiry.

Spain is one of the main entry points for migrants into Europe, particularly via the western Mediterranean, with boats departing from Morocco and Algeria.

Over 13,000 such migrants have arrived on the Spanish mainland or the Balearic archipelago between January 1 and November 15, 11.5 percent more than in the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Spanish interior ministry.

According to the European agency Frontex, Moroccans account for almost half of the people taking this migration route.