RABAT: The bodies of 13 Moroccans were recovered after their boat sank off the country’s southern coast while attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, Moroccan media reported.

The 45 passengers on board were attempting to reach the islands’ main city of Las Palmas when their boat hit a rock and sank Friday, “10 minutes after” embarking near the town of Mirleft, according to online news service Hespress. Twenty-four people, including a minor, were rescued from the water and the body of one woman was among those recovered, the Arabic-language site reported. Eight of the passengers remain unaccounted for.