The Associated Press
Morocco’s state-run news agency has reported that 271 migrants on 18 makeshift boats attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe were rescued over the weekend.
A Moroccan military official told The Associated Press on Monday that the rescued passengers included 23 women and three unaccompanied minors who were in distress.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
With the sea route from Libya to Italy increasingly blocked by Libyan coast guard crews as part of a deal with the European Union, Morocco has become a major departure point for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Authorities in Morocco reported that a Royal Navy vessel rescued another 330 migrants Friday trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in unseaworthy boats.
Moroccan authorities say about 25,000 migrants trying to reach Spain have been stopped so far this year.
—By Amira El Masaiti in Rabat
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1:00 p.m.
Pope Francis has prayed for migrants in a special Mass, saying they are people and not just a social issue.
The Mass, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, marked the sixth anniversary of the pope’s visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa on July 8, 2013.
Francis had been pope for only four months when he made the surprise visit, his first pastoral visit outside Rome.
The island, halfway between Sicily and the North African coast, has become one of the main European points of entry for migrants and refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
The pope said “they are persons. These are not mere social or migrant issues. They are the symbol of all those rejected by today’s globalized society.”
The Associated Press
