Spain: 2 adults and 1 child die as migrant boat capsizes

MADRID – Three migrants who were trying to reach Europe, including a 10-year-old girl, died after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, Spain’s maritime rescue service said Wednesday.

A service spokeswoman said a Spanish Navy unit stationed on Alboran island, halfway between Spain and Morocco, rescued 30 migrants after the boat overturned Tuesday afternoon.

The spokeswoman said a 10-year-old girl was found dead and the woman died later. It was not immediately known if the two were related.

The body of a third person — a man — that had been reported missing was found by police divers Wednesday.

The spokeswoman said the rescue service transported 29 of the migrants by boat to the Spanish port city of Almeria, while a pregnant woman was flown to an Almeria hospital for treatment. None of the 29 needed to be hospitalized.

She said the service had been tipped off by an NGO in Morocco that the boat had set sail from near the northern Moroccan city of Nador.

There were no details on the migrants’ nationalities.

Thousands of migrants, most from sub-Saharan African countries, try to reach Spain’s shores by boat each year.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with service regulations.