Spanish authorities intercepted a boat carrying 66 illegal African would-be immigrants near the Canary Islands on Friday.
One of the migrants had died aboard the boat, which was at sea for 11 days before it was stopped by Spanish authorities off the island of Tenerife, authorities said.
The boat was towed to the port of Los Cristianos, where four of the other passengers suffering from hypothermia, broken bones and other illnesses were taken to a hospital, said Maria Ortega, a spokesperson for the Maritime Rescue Service in Tenerife.
One body was found on board the boat, said Ortega, though she had no details on how the person died.
In July, 12 sub-Saharan Africans were found dead aboard boats heading to the Canary Islands.
Another boat carrying 103 immigrants was intercepted late on Thursday near the island of Gran Canaria and another was expected to arrive in Tenerife on Saturday with about 92 people, the spokesperson said.
Thousands of people try to reach Europe through Spain each year, an increasing number of them setting off from Mauritania and Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.
Many die during the dangerous crossing. Those who are intercepted are kept in holding centres. Authorities then have 40 days to repatriate or release them. — Sapa-AP