Spain rescues 276 migrants crossing perilous Mediterranean

MADRID – Spain’s maritime rescue service says it has saved 276 migrants from seven different boats attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.

The service says all the boats were intercepted by rescue craft Saturday in waters east of the Strait of Gibraltar after they had set sail from North African shores. The service said there were no confirmed causalities.

Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants each year try to cross the Mediterranean to seek a better life in Europe. Thousands drown each year in the attempt.

The German paper Der Tagesspiegel on Thursday published a list of 33,293 people who died from 1993 to May 29, 2017 while trying to migrate to Europe. The list ran 46 pages.