An incredible photo shows two African migrants attempting to paddle to Europe on a surfboard.
The Spanish coastguard picked up the two men, among 125 migrants rescued on Wednesday, in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Another two migrants were trying to make the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean on a kayak, local media reported.
Every day hundreds of vessels cross through the the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Morocco in North Africa.
An incredible photo shows two African migrants attempting to paddle to Europe on a surfboard
Every day hundreds of vessels cross through the the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Morocco in North Africa. Pictured: Migrants being rescued
Meanwhile Libya’s navy says it has intercepted vessels carrying almost 700 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean in the last two days.
Colonel Ayoub Qassem said the coast guard, run by the UN-backed government in Tripoli, rescued two boats together carrying 290 migrants on Tuesday alone.
Another ship with 164 migrants on board was intercepted off the coast of Sabratha, Libya, the same day.
And with Italian help, the coast guard intercepted two boats with 88 and 134 separately on Monday.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have in recent years attempted to cross the Mediterranean from Libya on rickety boats in the hope of reaching Europe, and thousands have died.
Italy has recently had to deny that it supported a deal with Tripoli in which armed groups were paid to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
‘The foreign ministry firmly denies that there is an agreement between Libyan traffickers and the Italian government,’ an official from the Italian ministry said.
The Spanish coastguard picked up the two men, among 125 migrants rescued on Wednesday, in the Strait of Gibraltar
Another two migrants were trying to make the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean on a kayak, local media reported
The spokesperson added: ‘The Italian government does not deal with traffickers.’
A new force in the Libyan coastal town of Sabratha is preventing people leaving, often by locking them up, sources in the area have revealed.
It has prompted a sudden drop in departures at what is usually the busiest time of year for migration.
Arrivals from North Africa dropped by more than 50 percent in July and more than 80 per cent so far in August.
Some 600,000 have made it to southern Italy by sea since 2014.