The bodies of 16 migrants have been recovered by Moroccan coast guards from the country’s northern coast near the Spanish enclave of Melilla, local media reported.
News agency Xinhua reported citing the Alyaoum24.com website that the bodies were taken to the morgue of Al Hassani hospital Sunday in the northern city of Nador.
One victim was identified as Moroccan, while the others were sub-Saharan Africans, the report said.
There were three women among the victims.
A Spanish ship spotted the bodies Saturday floating on the water, which contacted Moroccan coast guards afterwards.
The migrants might have attempted to reach Europe by sailing from Melilla, before their boat sank due to storms, said a medical official.
Morocco's coast guards have witnessed in recent years an increasing number of migrants who were desperate to reach Europe from Africa.
According to EU's border agency Frontex, the number of migrants arriving in Spain in 2017 hit a record high of nearly 22,900.