Spanish authorities have rescued 177 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa on six boats off the southern Mediterranean coast.
Spain's maritime rescue service said it had spotted some of the boats by aeroplane. It sent ships to carry out the rescues at various points on the country's southern shore, including near Malaga.
There were eight children among those rescued, it added.
In 2015, 3,845 migrants entered Spain via sea crossings, according to the International Organisation for Migration, a tiny fraction of the 956,000 that reached Europe the same way.
Other boats have been intercepted recently off Spain, including when some 50 migrants were rescued in August, some of whom had attempted to cross from Morocco's northern coast.
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