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Spain says 72 migrants rescued at sea

Spain says 72 migrants rescued at sea

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Migrants on dinghy boats are being rescued by the vessel Responder, run by the Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) and the Italian Red Cross, in the Mediterranean sea, on early Saturday, November 5, 2016. Photo: Francesco Malavolta/MOAS via AP

BERLIN: Spain's maritime rescue service says its ships have saved 72 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in three small boats. The agency says one rescue ship collected 10 migrants in the Strait of Gibraltar. A second operation then picked up 53 more migrants from another vessel, followed by third rescue ship saving nine more migrants. The International Organisation for Migration says Spain received about 3,850 migrants via sea crossings and rescues in 2015. Other migrants seek asylum in Spain via its North African enclaves, Melilla and Ceuta.