Mauritanian rescuers Friday rescued 24 African would-be immigrants who were without food or water after being adrift at sea for 11 days, said Commander Hacen Ould Ahmed, who led the operation, according to Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa). The group included 14 Malians, 6 Mauritanians, 3 Senegalese and one Gambian national. Their boat suffered an engine failure on the way to Spain's Canary Islands. Had the rescuers not located them at a distance of 200 kilometres off Nouakchott, they would probably have died, Ould Ahmed said. Boats carrying illegal immigrants are leaving constantly from Mauritania for the Canaries. At least 70 migrants have drowned this month alone during the 800-kilometre crossing. The Spanish government meanwhile announced joint patrols with Mauritania to prevent illegals from leaving for Europe. --More 21 43 Local Time 18 43 GMT
