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22 immigrants missing off Spain's coast

MADRID, May 6 (UPI) -- Spanish maritime rescue services are searching for 22 sub-Saharan immigrants after their boat capsized off the southern coast of Spain, officials said.

A total of 29 people were rescued from the Mediterranean, near the town of Motril, after a small boat was overturned by a strong ocean current, El Mundo reported.

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Police and coastal rescue services are still combing the area for 22 missing immigrants, including two children, who survivors said were on board.

Rescue services have warned it is unlikely they will find any survivors because the sea temperature is so low.

Three men were hospitalized, two of them with hypothermia and the third with burns from the mixing of fuel and salt water.

Spain has been a magnet in recent years for African migrants aspiring to reach Europe.

Authorities fear many of those who attempt to cross the Mediterranean by small boats die of thirst, hunger or exposure.

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