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Four migrants died on Sunday after trying to swim to Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta from northern Morocco, the government in Rabat said. It said the migrants, whose names and nationalities were not given, had tried to swim around a maritime fence separating the Spanish territory from Morocco. Since last year, 15 migrants have died trying to reach Ceuta by sea, and Spain has come under fire from rights groups after its border guards used rubber bullets against people trying to enter illegally.

From Yahoo News: A drowned two-year-old boy became the first known migrant casualty of the year on Saturday after the crowded dinghy he was travelling in slammed into rocks off Greece's Agathonisi island, the coastguard said. The rubber vessel had set off from Turkey in the early morning in windy weather. The charity Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), which helps save migrants and refugees at sea, deployed its fast-rescue Responder boat to help bring the stranded passengers to safety in a joint operation with the Hellenic coastguard.

Turkish authorities on Tuesday found the bodies of nine migrants, including several children, washed up on a beach after their boat sank while crossing the Aegean Sea to EU member Greece, Dogan news agency reported. Eight of 22 migrants seeking to reach the Greek island of Lesbos were rescued by the Turkish coastguard while efforts were underway to locate the remaining five. The bodies were found on a beach near the resort of Ayvalik in southwest Turkey after the migrants' boat ran into trouble in bad weather after leaving the neighbouring resort of Dikili.

Italy Rescues 4,500 Migrants in Mediterranean in one day.

Italy Rescues 4,500 Migrants in Mediterranean in one day.

Around forty migrants died in the Mediterranean on Sunday, according to survivors of the journey who arrived on the southern Italian island of Sicily.

Around forty migrants died in the Mediterranean on Sunday, according to survivors of the journey who arrived on the southern Italian island of Sicily.

The badly decomposed bodies of two children were found washed up on the Greek island of Kos on Sunday, the latest victims of a crisis that has seen 630,000 people enter the EU illegally this year. Authorities believe the children were from migrant families that had been trying to reach Kos by dinghy, Greek media reported. Greece has been struggling to cope with a wave of migrants making the dangerous crossing from Turkey.

Migrant smugglers set ships on autopilot and vanish, leaving them to beach in Europe.

Migrant smugglers set ships on autopilot and vanish, leaving them to beach in Europe.

150 migrants rescued off Spanish coast over several days.

150 migrants rescued off Spanish coast over several days.

Boat sinks off Yemen coast, killing 70 Ethiopian migrants.

Boat sinks off Yemen coast, killing 70 Ethiopian migrants.

UN: At Least 300 Migrants Unaccounted-for in New Sea Tragedy.

UN: At Least 300 Migrants Unaccounted-for in New Sea Tragedy.

Italy disembarks some migrants from rescue ship Mare Jonio but won't lift ban.

The Italian navy rescued nearly 500 boat migrants off the coast of Libya on Monday and recovered the bodies of six people who fell out of a leaking rubber vessel.

The Italian navy rescued nearly 500 boat migrants off the coast of Libya on Monday and recovered the bodies of six people who fell out of a leaking rubber vessel.

Italian court issues 18-year sentence to captain in migrant shipwreck .

International effort rescues over 5,000 Mediterranean migrants.

International effort rescues over 5,000 Mediterranean migrants.

The hottest commodity in the saga of migrants risking death to reach European shores: decrepit wooden fishing boats. And Italy is asking the United States to supply drones that can identify them before they're packed with refugees and sent across the Mediterranean.

The hottest commodity in the saga of migrants risking death to reach European shores: decrepit wooden fishing boats. And Italy is asking the United States to supply drones that can identify them before they're packed with refugees and sent across the Mediterranean.

Death toll of migrants asphyxiated on Italy boat 'rises to 49'.

Death toll of migrants asphyxiated on Italy boat 'rises to 49'.

38 illegal migrants feared dead as trawler capsizes.

38 illegal migrants feared dead as trawler capsizes.

About 700 Migrants Rescued From Boats Near Libya.

Update 2: Malta assisting in rescue of at least 1,000 migrants.

The rescue of all persons in distress at sea - including illegal migrants - is an obligation under international maritime law, as well as being a long established humanitarian duty, says the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). ICS is the global trade association for commercial ship operators, whose ships are currently involved on a daily basis in the rescue of refugees at sea in the Mediterranean.