Mauritanian authorities picked up 66 illegal immigrants trying to reach the Spanish Canary Islands by sea after their boat broke down, a source in the security services said Sunday.

The group, mostly Malians and Senegalese nationals, left the Mauritanian port city of Nouadibou Tuesday on a small fishing boat but the ship`s engine failed, the source who did not want to be identified told AFP.

After the engine failure, strong winds pushed the boat back to the Mauritanian shoreline, where the army was alerted to their presence.

Mauritania is a major transit point for would-be illegal immigrants from Africa trying to reach Europe via the Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco.

Authorities fear many of the thousands who try to reach Spain by sailing in simple boats from west Africa die of thirst, hunger or exposure.

During the first nine months of the year 7,066 illegal immigrants arrived in the Canary Islands, down from 8,022 during the same period last year, according to local government officials.