At least nine Africans drowned as they tried to swim ashore to Spain's Canary Islands today, a day after four other illegal immigrants died in the sea off the Spanish mainland, officials said.
In the incident, eight men were held by Spanish police on the island of Fuerteventura, a government spokesman on the island said.
The victims were from sub-Saharan Africa but no further details of their identity were immediately available. The four people who died yesterday were reported to be North Africans who died trying to swim ashore in Almeria, southeastern Spain.
Earlier this week, Spain's Foreign Minister Mr Josep Pique criticised Morocco for not doing enough to stop record numbers of immigrants. Many of them make hazardous sea crossings in small boats in the hope of finding work in Europe.