Two children presumed dead after 69 migrants rescued from rubber dinghy

Spain's maritime rescue service says two children were reported missing at sea when 69 migrants were taken from a rubber dinghy in the Mediterranean Sea.

The service says people on the boat told a rescue crew the boys hadn't been seen for several hours and were presumed dead.

Survivors quoted Spain's El Pais news website gave varying accounts about the two boys, with some claiming that their bodies were thrown overboard and other saying that they 
had died at the Moroccan beach of Tcharrana, where their journey began.

The Spanish crew responded on Sunday after a fishing boat reported spotting a partially deflated rubber boat and some of its passengers in the water. The service says the fishing boat's crew saved some of the migrants before the rescue vessel arrived.

On Thursday, 12 migrants died while trying to make the dangerous sea crossing from African shores to Spain.

Increasing numbers of Moroccans and sub-Saharan migrants are seeking to enter Spain, either by sea or by smuggling themselves into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which are in Morocco and are the only European territories in Africa.

The United Nations says more than 2,200 migrants and refugees have perished in 2018 on the Mediterranean Sea, which also is conduit for reaching Greece and Italy.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab