RABAT, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy rescued 54 migrants from a boat off the Atlantic coast, 186 km south of the port of Dakhla, said a statement from the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces on Thursday.

       The navy unit in charge of coastal surveillance intercepted the boat heading to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, the statement said.

       The migrants, who were from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for processing after receiving medical care, it added.

       According to the report, they had set sail from the Mauritanian coast.

       Morocco has become a transit country for African migrants who want to reach Europe for better living conditions.