Migrants missing after boat sinks off Morocco

Twenty-four illegal immigrants from Morocco lacked the southern Atlantic coast after their ship sank, Moroccan government officials said.

The Moroccan navy rescued 11 migrants from the boat was destroyed by the bad weather off Tarfaya, about 1000 km south of Rabat on Tuesday night, they said.

A total of 35 people were aboard the rickety vessel, led to the Spanish Canary Islands, the officials said, adding the migrants came from countries south of Sahara.

Thousands of sub-Saharan migrants hike to the north through the desert and pay for traffickers passage to Europe on overcrowded boats to escape poverty at home.

Hundreds make the sea journey from West Africa to the Canary Islands every year, but many others who have tried to officials from migrant families advocacy groups in Morocco say.