Around 20 African migrants are missing at sea after their boat sunk in the Atlantic Ocean around 20 miles off the coast of Western Sahara, Spanish rescuers have said.

Spanish lifeguards rescued 22 African men from the sea late on Tuesday in stormy conditions and recovered the corpse of one man. The search continues for the remaining migrants.

Survivors say there were over 40 people travelling in the boat, including one woman.

The survivors were transferred from a rescue boat to Gran Canaria island where they were attended to by Red Cross workers in makeshift tents set up in the port.

The sea route from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands was a major route for migrants attempting to enter Europe until about 10 years ago when Spain stepped up patrols.

Meanwhile, reports in Turkey said rescuers were searching for 10 migrants reported missing after a boat sank on its way to Greece.

Five Syrians were rescued yesterday off the Aegean coast of Bodrum, a town popular with British tourists and the main crossing point for the Greek island of Kos.

A coastguard aircraft was also dispatched to the area to search for the missing from the air.