581 Nigerians, Egyptians, others rescued in Mediterranean Sea

dimeji akinloye

May 6, 2018 11:00 PM

The migrants were said to be drifting at sea in a motor-less boat when they were found and rescued.

A Spanish nonprofit organization,

According ABC News, the aid group found the migrants drifting at sea in a motor-less boat.

The migrants reportedly told an Associated Press photographer onboard who documented the rescue that human smugglers sailing in a separate boat removed their boat's engine halfway through the dangerous Mediterranean crossing and left.

Favorable weather presumably sparked the surge in sea crossings.

Other migrants are citizens of Bangladesh, Egypt and Libya.

Another 476 rescued

In a separate rescue effort on Sunday, Spain's maritime rescue service was also said to have saved 476 migrants who were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from African shores.

The migrants were reportedly pulled from 15 small boats on Friday and Saturday. No casualties was reported in the incident.

Tens of thousands of migrants attempt to reach Spain and other southern European countries every year. They cross the Mediterranean in smugglers' boats. Most of the vessels are unfit for open water, and thousands of migrants drown each year.

ALSO READ: Is migration to Europe a blessing or curse for Africa?

The United Nations says 615 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year.

A total of 22,439 migrants have reached European shores, with 4,409 arriving in Spain, through the first four months of 2018.

dimeji akinloye