Moroccan navy attempts to intercept a boy swimming to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, at the border between Morocco and Spain, on May 19, 2021. (PHOTO / AP)

RABAT - Eight migrants drowned off Morocco's Mediterranean coast while attempting to cross to Spain in a flimsy boat, local authorities of the northeastern province of Nador said on Wednesday.

The victims were among a group of unidentified irregular migrants who boarded the boat Tuesday evening in an attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar from the town of Beni Chiker before bad weather conditions capsized the vessel, the local authorities added in a press release.

Nine migrants were rescued and provided with medical care in a hospital, it added.

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Operations were underway to search for the missing persons, it noted.