626 migrants including women and children were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain on Monday. They were attempting the dangerous crossing from Africa in wooden boats.
Nearly 200 people from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa were discovered on seven boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, and another 467 people were found on nine wooden boats in the western Mediterranean, the German press agency dpa reported.
The migrants were brought to safety in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia.
Spain has seen a peak in migrant arrivals with more than 28,500 people arriving by sea so far this year. 313 died in the attempt, according to the International Organization for Migration - more than during the whole of last year.
Higher risks
While the number of arrivals in Spain has increased, crossing the central Mediterranean has become more treacherous than ever before. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Monday that one in 18 migrants trying to reach Europe this year died or went missing during the voyage. The rate last year was one in 42.
In the past eight months, more than 1,600 people have died or gone missing while attempting Mediterranean crossings to Europe.