Ten die as fishing vessel sinks off Western Sahara

At least 10 fishermen drowned on Tuesday when a Moroccan fishing trawler sank off the coast of disputed Western Sahara.

Five sailors were rescued while two crew members were still missing, the authorities said, with a search underway.

The incident happened in the province of Aousserd, 220 km (136 miles) away from Dakhla city, the state-run Moroccan news agency, MAP, said.

It was not yet clear what caused the trawler to sink.

Western Sahara, which is disputed between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario movement, has a long coastline and access to rich fishing waters.