Sub-Saharan African migrants showing up off Spain's coast

MADRID, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The Spanish coast guard says it has been busy in recent months intercepting rafts loaded with African migrants intent on reaching Europe.

The coast guard said it has caught up with 148 rafts carrying 3,248 people in the past six months alone, ThinkSpain reported Saturday.

Most of the rafts are showing up in the Strait of Gibraltar, with fewer migrants caught off the coasts of Almeria, Alicante, Murcia and Granada provinces, where police patrols are more frequent, the news website said.

Besides Spain, sub-Saharan African migrants also are heading for the eastern coast of Greece and Italy, the coast guard said.