A group of 113 sub-Saharan migrants were rescued from three small boats adrift in the Alboran Sea at the western end of the Mediterranean on Thursday while one person died, a Spanish official said.

The rescuers launched an operation at around 4 a.m. to locate at least five boats that had set sail from Morocco after receiving a call from a volunteer, the official told Efe news.

The total number of people rescued from three boats is 114 including 16 women. One of the boats was half-sunk and some of its passengers were found in the water, the Maritime Safety Agency said.

The Moroccan Navy also rescued those on board two other boats in the area.

_

_SHOW_MID_AD__