At least eight African migrants have drowned after their boat capsised near Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco. The rubber boat overturned near a rocky islet in he Strait of Gibraltar called Perejil Island, eight kilometres west of Ceuta.

The victims were attempting to sail from Morocco to Spain. Some of the passengers phoned in to give their locations and a rescue team found the craft after an hour's search. Eleven people have so far been rescued. The International Red Cross says there may have been up to 60 people on board.

Tens of thousands of Africans have migrated from Morocco to Spain by boats in recent years. However, thousands of others have drowned or died of exposure.

Perejil Island
Photo by Wikimedia Commons