An AFM aircraft on Frontex deployment in Spain identified a dinghy packed with migrants, which led to the rescue of 18 people.

The AFM’s KingAir, photographed the dinghy early on Thursday with more than 30 people on board.

Following a rescue operation, 14 bodies were recovered, and 18 people - 14 men and four women, one of them pregnant - were rescued.

It is understood that the dinghy left Morocco early on Wednesday with more than 70 people on board. Around 40 people are still missing.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.