Image copyright Spain sea rescue Image caption Rescue services were searching for more survivors off the island of Alborán

Around 50 migrants are feared to have drowned in waters off the Moroccan coast, the Spanish coastguard has said.

Rescue services managed to retrieve three "exhausted and disorientated" men from a half-sunk rubber dinghy near Spain's Alborán Island.

It is believed many more were originally on board.

A coastguard spokeswoman said they had likely drowned, adding that rescuers were still surveying the water where the boat was found.

The survivors are aged between 17 and 25, and from sub-Saharan Africa. They have been taken to hospital in Almería, southern Spain.

The coastguard said in a statement that the boat "had been drifting for several days after leaving the northern coast of Morocco".

If the missing are confirmed dead, this will be the deadliest sea crossing of 2017 in this part of the Mediterranean.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IMO), 6,464 people reached Spain after crossing the Mediterranean between 1 January and 25 June 2017.

A further 60 died while attempting the journey.

The IMO says they are among at least 2,247 people who have died or are missing after trying to cross the sea into Europe via Spain, Italy or Greece this year.</s>Three men rescued but 49 missing after boat from Morocco sinks near Spain's Alboran Island, coastguards say.

Almost 50 migrants are feared dead after their rubber boat sank in the Alboran Sea in the Mediterranean, Spanish coastguards said.

Three "exhausted and disorientated" people were rescued from the deflated rubber boat on Tuesday that is believed to have left Morocco with 52 people aboard.

The "half-sunk" boat was spotted around 50km southwest of Spain's Alboran Island, which lies in the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean.

When asked if the 49 people left unaccounted drowned, a spokeswoman for the coastguards told AFP news agency: "We suppose".

Rescue workers were searching for survivors in the water near the Spanish island.

The three rescued men, aged 17 to 25 from sub-Saharan Africa, "explained that more than 50 people were on-board the rubber boat which had been drifting for several days after leaving the northern coast of Morocco", the coastguards said in a statement.

The three people were taken to hospital in Almeria in southern Spain after suffering from dehydration.

If the missing 49 are confirmed dead, this will be the deadliest sea crossing in the western part of the Mediterranean this year.

So far, 60 migrants have died trying to cross the waters to Spain from North Africa since January, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The UN's migration agency said 6,464 people reached Spain after crossing the Mediterranean between January 1 and June 25 this year.

In total, at least 2,247 people have died or are missing after trying to cross the sea into Europe via Spain, Italy or Greece this year, the IOM said.</s>AROUND 50 migrants are feared dead after Spanish coastguards rescued three men from a ‘hulf sunk’ rubber boat yesterday.

If the missing are confirmed dead, it will be the deadliest sea crossing in that part of the Mediterranean so far this year.

A spokeswoman for the Spanish coastguards told AFP that ‘we suppose’ the migrants have drowned.

She added that crews were still searching for potential survivors in the seas near Alboran Island.

The rubber boat was discovered some 50km southwest of the island, which lies in the westernmost point of the Mediterranean.

The surviving men, all under the age of 25 and from sub-Sahara Africa, said there were more than 50 people on the boat, which had drifted for several days after leaving Morocco.

They were taken to hospital in Almeria.

Some 60 migrants have died so far this year trying to reach Spain.</s>File Migrants wait to disembark from the Spanish ship 'Rio Segura' in the harbor of Salerno, Italy, Thursday, June 29, 2017. Over 1200 migrants, including children, were rescued while attempting to cross the Mediterranean. | AP

MADRID: Around 50 migrants are missing and feared drowned at sea, Spanish coastguards said Tuesday, after they rescued three "exhausted and disorientated" men from a rubber boat that had initially held many more people.

"We suppose" that they drowned, a spokeswoman for the coastguards told AFP, adding however that rescue forces were still surveying the seas near Spain's Alboran Island where the boat was found drifting, to try and find any survivors.

If the missing are confirmed dead, this will be the deadliest sea crossing in this part of the Mediterranean since the start of the year.

So far, 60 migrants have died trying to cross the waters to Spain from north Africa since January, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The "half-sunk" boat was spotted around 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of Alboran Island, which lies in the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean.

The survivors, three men aged 17 to 25 from sub-Saharan Africa, "explained that more than 50 people were on board the rubber boat which had been drifting for several days after leaving the northern coast of Morocco," the coastguards said in a statement.

They were taken to hospital in Almeria in southern Spain, and are still too weak to tell a detailed story of what happened, the spokeswoman said.

According to the IOM, 6,464 people reached Spain after crossing the Mediterranean between January 1 and June 25.

Altogether, at least 2,247 people have died or are missing after trying to cross the sea into Europe via Spain, Italy or Greece this year, the IOM says.</s>MADRID: The Spanish coast guard rescued three men on Tuesday from a half-sunk dinghy stranded in the Mediterranean, after a two-day search for a boat that had left Morocco with 52 people on board.

The rescued men, all from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, said the rubber boat had been drifting since it set off from Morocco's northern coast, the coast guard said in a statement.

The statement said an informant had alerted the coast guard on Sunday that a boat had left from near Al Hoceima in Morocco, and that the area had been searched non-stop since then.

The coast guard said it was likely that the boat they had found was the same one they were looking for.

A helicopter transferred the three men, a 17-year-old and two 25-year-olds, to the Spanish port of Almeria, where medical services were treating them.</s>The Spanish coast guard rescued three men on Tuesday from a half-sunk dinghy stranded in the Mediterranean, after a two-day search for a boat that had left Morocco with 52 people on board. The rescued men, all from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, said the rubber boat had been drifting since it set off from Morocco's northern coast, the coast guard said in a statement.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>The rescued men, all from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, said the rubber boat had been drifting since it set off from Morocco's northern coast, the coast guard said in a statement.

The statement said an informant had alerted the coast guard on Sunday that a boat had left from near Al Hoceima in Morocco, and that the area had been searched non-stop since then.

The coast guard said it was likely that the boat they had found was the same one they were looking for.

A helicopter transferred the three men, a 17-year-old and two 25-year-olds, to the Spanish port of Almeria, where medical services were treating them.</s>Three migrants rescued off Spanish coast after two-day search for boat

MADRID (Reuters) – The Spanish coast guard rescued three men on Tuesday from a half-sunk dinghy stranded in the Mediterranean, after a two-day search for a boat that had left Morocco with 52 people on board.

 Original Article</s>The Latest on Europe's response to the influx of migrants and asylum-seekers (all times local):

Spain's maritime rescue service says it has rescued three migrants from a deflated rubber boat that is believed to have set sail from Morocco with 52 people aboard.

The service said Tuesday the three young men from sub-Saharan countries were rescued close to Spain's western Mediterranean island of Alboran, located between Spain and Morocco. It says it has been searching for the boat since Sunday.

The survivors said they had been adrift for several days.

One rescue boat is continuing the search for more survivors.

So far this year, aid agencies say at least 2,169 migrants have died trying to reach Europe from North Africa in small and often unseaworthy smugglers' boats.

The European Union's executive is pressing for more urgent help to alleviate the pressure on Italy as it struggles to take in and process tens of thousands of desperate migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya.

The Commission said it will mobilize at least 80 million euros ($90 million) for projects in Libya and Italy to stem the relentless flow of migrants seeking to make the dangerous crossing. And it called on countries in the 28-nation bloc to do more to help Italy by accepting more migrants for relocation and by giving more money for an EU-Africa fund to cut down on immigration.

Figures show that by Monday, 85,183 migrants had reached Italian shores after being rescued in the central Mediterranean, compared with 71,279 at this time last year.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says "the urgency of the situation now requires us to seriously accelerate our collective work and not leave Italy on its own."

Italy's foreign ministry has summoned Austria's ambassador to Italy, Rene Pollitzer, for consultations after Vienna said it was considering imposing border controls to prevent migrants arriving in Italy from entering its territory.

The ministry said Tuesday that it made the diplomatic move "following the declarations of the Austrian government about the lining up of troops at the Brenner Pass."

The Brenner Pass is one of the principal routes connecting Italy with northern Europe and is particularly heavily used during the summer vacation season. Austrian officials earlier said they are ready to deploy armored vehicles to the border crossing to prevent a migrant spillover into Austria.

Austria last year threatened to build a wall along the border with Italy, drawing similar protests from Italy.

Pope Francis is encouraging a new EU-financed information portal on Europe's migration crisis, saying such initiatives should help integrate migrants, foster dialogue and promote peace.

Francis sent a message of appreciation to Italian news agency ANSA, which is partnering with France Medias Monde and Germany's Deutsche Welle on the project. Infomigrants.net describes itself as an information portal aimed at migrants "to counter misinformation at every point of their journey," since they are often duped by smugglers. It is published in French, Arabic and English.

Francis said Tuesday he appreciated all initiatives "that wisely open themselves to the complex migration phenomenon." He said he hoped the site would encourage integration and help create "a renewed commitment for an authentic culture of welcome and solidarity."

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz says his country is ready to "protect" its borders with Italy amid growing concerns that the influx of migrants into Italy could soon result in a spillover into his country.

Kurz spoke to the Austria Press Agency Tuesday amid preparations to tighten border controls.

Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil says his ministry is ready to deploy armored vehicles to the Brenner border crossing between the two countries within 72 hours. Ministry spokesmen on Tuesday dismissed reports that the vehicles already are at Brenner, the main crossing from Italy.

Officials say there has been no upsurge in migrant entries. But Kurz says both Italy and the European Union need to know that "we are ready to protect our Brenner border if necessary."</s>As many as 69 refugees have drowned off the coast of Spain this year, it has been claimed.

The migrants have died while trying to cross the Med to safety from Africa.

Rescuers are patrolling the coast where 6,000 have arrived this year, according to the Mirror.

One reportedly said: “We fear an avalanche.”

As tourists soak up the Spanish sunshine, patrol boats scour the Mediterranean in search of families who have risked everything to flee war, famine and torture.

As millions of Britons fly to the Costas on holiday , thousands of desperate people have undertaken a treacherous sea crossing to the same stretch of coast, to escape their home countries.

They travel in tiny inflatable boats, hoping for a new chance at life in Europe.

Rescuers told of an “avalanche” of asylum seekers crossing to Spain, with 6,000 arriving in the first five months of this year – more than double the number for the same period last year.

Tragically, 69 are known to have died in the attempt, including a boy of eight found in the sea near Almeria’s Playa de Los Muertos – the Beach of the Dead – where two men were also found dead.

British tourists nearby told of their sympathy for the refugees.

Kitchen installer Ian Crowther, 40, from Bournemouth, said: “I feel guilty that we’re having a lovely time with the family here when other parents are risking their lives to protect theirs.”

His son Aidan, 15, said: “I can’t believe we take boats out for fun and they’re taking them out to try and survive.”

Mum Clare said: “I cannot imagine how unsafe these migrants must be feeling in their own country to take the risks they have taken.”

Captain Miguel Parcha, 57, captain of one of four Coastguard boats, with a crew of eight, said: “We hear terrible stories. Pregnant women and children raped, others have been tortured or seen family members murdered. Last year we were getting 200 a month but that’s gone up to 600 – and that’s just my boat.

“We had an avalanche of migrants a few years ago and I worry the same is happening again.”

The migrants typically pay traffickers around 1,500 euros to escape north Africa. The boats mainly leave Morocco in the dead of night.

The journey can take anything from 12 to 36 hours.

Often the huddled, terrified migrants are so dehydrated they are forced to drink sea water during the trip.

Those who survive are checked for signs of disease on arrival by coastguard crews wearing masks and white forensic suits against the threat of Ebola. Anyone needing help is seen by medics.

They are then taken to internment camps while they find out if they can claim asylum or face deportation.

Last year most migrants arriving in Spain were from Algeria and Morocco but this year more are coming from sub-Saharan Africa.

Some 10,231 arrived in Spain during 2016, up 46% on the year before.

And this year’s total is likely to be higher.

So far this year up to June 29, a total of 95,768 migrants have entered Europe by sea, according to the UN Migration Agency.

Almost 85% arrived in Italy and the remainder were divided between Greece, Spain and Cyprus.
Approximately fifty migrants are feared drowned off the coast of Morocco. Three men were rescued near Alboran Island near the coast of Spain.