Eight people die at sea in 24 hours while trying to reach Spain

At least seven people, including three women, drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to Spain.

The Moroccan coastguard vessel which retrieved the bodies on Monday also rescued 70 survivors, including 10 women and a baby, who were found in a “very poor state” and were transferred to Nador in northern Morocco, where they would receive medical care.

Some 24 are still missing after the boat carrying around 100 migrants capsized overnight, according to Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras.

On Tuesday, Spanish police retrieved a body from a boat off the southern coast – the eighth person killed at sea in 24 hours while trying to reach the country.

Spain is a key entry point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

Nearly 25,000 people have died trying to reach Europe for political and economic reasons since the start of 2014, including over 19,000 who drowned in the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration.

So far this year, more than 1,200 migrants and refugees have died while trying to reach safety in Europe.