Bodies of eight migrants found on beaches in Almería, Spain

Bodies of eight Algerian and Moroccan migrants, including a child, have been found since Sunday on beaches in the southern Spanish province of Almería.

The bodies were discovered in the towns of Carboneras and Vera, the Almeria sub-prefecture told AFP.

The bodies “are being identified,” according to an Almería Guardia Civil spokesman. Three of the dead are women.

Migrants from Algeria or Morocco, who sometimes come from other African countries, are increasingly trying to cross the western Mediterranean to reach Spain.

A total of 10,701 migrants arrived on Spain's southern coast and the Balearic Islands between 1 January and 13 September, which is 1,680 more than in the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Spanish interior ministry.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least 238 migrants have lost their lives in the western Mediterranean since the beginning of the year.

The main sea route for African migrants trying to reach Spain, however, remains the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. It is also the most dangerous route.