The migrant vessel was traveling to the Canary Islands, as journeys to the archipelago are once again on the rise. In a separate development, some 200 migrants tried to swim from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa on Sunday night.
Two bodies were found on a migrant boat intercepted Monday (August 12) off the Western Sahara, Moroccan military authorities have said.
The boat was intercepted by two Moroccan Navy vessels after it was located about 15 kilometers south-east of the city of Dakhla.
The boat with the two deceased passengers was carrying a total of 66 people.
The survivors -- all originating from sub-Saharan African countries, according to Moroccan authorities -- received medical assistance before being handed over to local authorities.
Canary landings trending once again
Attempts to reach the Canary Islands from the western coast of Africa have strongly increased over the past few months once more, according to the Spanish interior ministry.
The Atlantic archipelago recorded the arrival of at least 21,470 migrants between January and July this year, compared to 8,508 people over the same period in 2023.
Attempts to Swim to Spanish territory
Meanwhile in a separate development, some 200 migrants were apprehended in the night between Sunday and Monday while trying to swim from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, local authorities said.
The majority of the migrants were handed over to Moroccan authorities on the grounds of a bilateral agreement between the two governments.
Similar episodes have been reported repeatedly over the past few months in Ceuta, as migrants try to take advantage of poor visibility conditions to swim to Spain from Moroccan territory -- even at the risk of dying.