(Photo : Stocksnap)

Authorities from Morocco had rescued 14 migrants from a boat with 28 people drifting at sea in the Western Sahara coast. The authorities from Morocco feared that the migrants would drown so they decided to rescue the group.

14 Died, Including 2 Children 

The news about the rescue happened a day after a report from 'Alarm Phone' was received. The 'Alarm Phone' is a hotline created for boats of migrants who need rescue. 

The incident reported 14 people, including 2 minors had lost their lives after their boat sunk on Monday off the coast of Western Sahara. 

According to a statement by hotline operators, they were able to speak with 14 of the incident survivors. They said that they were offered help by a fishing boat before they received help from the Navy of Morocco. The hotline did not give further comments about the incident on migrant rescues.

According to the rescue service of Spain, it had continued its search on Wednesday for another 53 people missing in two migrant boards. It was reported that the two boats may have been drifting between Western Sahara and the Canary Islands of Spain. However, the rescue mission was a difficult task for the rescue team due to bad weather.

Western Sahara is a coastal territory of Africa in the southern part of Morocco. It was annexed by Morocco in 1975.

Previous Rescue Missions of Spain in the Area

Authorities from Spain had primarily conducted migrant rescue operations in the earlier part of the week. After receiving alerts through 'Alert Phone', they were tasked to rescue 140 missing migrants who were aboard in multiple boats. Out of the 140 migrants, 37 were rescued on Monday aboard one of the groups of migrants' boats.

On Tuesday, 14 men, 9 women, and an infant were rescued from another boat.

The Dangerous Atlantic Ocean Route 

The dangerous Atlantic Ocean route starting from the Canary Islands of Spain to Northwest Africa had become a commonplace where many migrants end up in. It has become a desperate move for migrants to seek asylum in Europe. Also, the increase of these similar incidents had been caused by the added migrant control being implemented in the routes between mainland Spain and Morocco.

At least 1,000 migrants successfully reached Spain's Canary Islands from January 1 to February 15. Last year, there were only 66 migrants who reached the same location in the same period last year. In 2019, there was a minimum of 210 migrant death during the same period.

The Alarm Phone Hotline

According to the website of Alarm Phone, it clear that it is not a rescue number but a number to contact in case there is a need for a migrant rescue operation.

It cleared that they cannot perform the rescue operation themselves due to their remoteness in the area where there is a need for rescuing. Instead, they explained that they will provide support to the rescue of those who will be sending the alert. 

Typically, this alert is made for those who need rescuing while at sea.