The Spanish government reported that the Spanish border agency Frontex and Spanish police were'searching on Friday for a boat with an unknown number of migrants who had tried to reach Balearic Islands.

Walking Borders, a group that advocates for migrant rights, warned on Thursday of three boats missing on the route between Algerian and Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The boats were carrying 81 people including 10 women and 2 babies.

Even though the number of arrivals in the EU fell, it was still one of the fastest growing migration routes.

According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 483 migrants have died or vanished in the Western Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe.

Frontex stated that smugglers switched their operations from Morocco to Algeria last year because of what they perceived as less stringent controls and faster boats.

The representative of the Spanish government for the Balearic Islands said that the Algerian Navy had intercepted two vessels while Frontex and Spain’s Guardia Civil continue to search for the third.

The office didn't provide any details about how many migrants were on the two boats that were rescued, or their condition.

The Embassy of Algeria in Spain did not respond immediately to a comment request.

According to data from Spain's Interior Ministry, irregular migrant arrivals on the Balearic Islands by sea fell by 25% between January and February 2015 compared to the same period last year.

Spain, following the increase in arrivals last year, has asked Algeria to work more closely with it against smuggler networks.

Last month, Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that Madrid could?request? more Frontex aerial surveillance along the Algerian to Balearics Route.

He said that he would not be deploying Spanish police or transferring equipment to Algeria to fight migration. Spain and Algeria have had a tense relationship in recent years. Instead, he will focus on enhancing the exchange of information about security. Reporting by Emma Pinedo and Joan Faus; editing by Aislinn laing and Nivedita battacharjee

(source: Reuters)