Boy travels from Morocco to Spain under bus

A boy travelled at least 230km from Morocco to Spain hanging underneath a bus, officials said on Monday, in another example of desperate measures taken by migrants to get to Europe.

Emergency services in the southern Spanish city of Seville tweeted a video of the boy being led away from a bus they said came from Tangier, wearing a dirtied white t-shirt.

They said he had been taken to hospital but was in good condition. A police spokesman told AFP the boy appeared to be Moroccan.

He said he had been told the bus came from Tetouan, another Moroccan city still farther away.

"The bus arrived in Seville, and when the driver was going to let the passengers out, he noted something strange," the spokesman said.

"He called the police and firefighters, and they found the boy who was holding onto the bottom of the bus," he added.

Migrants from Africa regularly risk their lives trying to get into Europe via Spain.

Many attempt to cross the Mediterranean sea in rickety boats or climb over the border fence that separates the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla from northern Morocco.

Earlier this month, a car with five migrants hidden inside rammed its way through a border post between Morocco and Melilla, forcing officers to abandon their posts to avoid being run over.

Once inside Melilla, the Moroccan driver abandoned the car but was soon detained by police.

Inside the vehicle, they found five migrants - two in the boot, two others under a false bottom in the rear seats and another in the dashboard.

As of last month, more than 1,000 migrants, including at least 150 children, have died or gone missing this year while trying to reach Europe by sea, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Meanwhile, Italian police on Monday used tear gas on a group of some 400 mainly African migrants who marched towards the French border from the northern town of Ventimiglia.

The group, most of whom are believed to be from Sudan, said they were fed-up with being held by police.

The group was seen walking up a motorway towards the French border when the confrontation with Italian police took place. Some members of the group attempted to break away and cross a river to find a way into France.

However, hours later most of the group were seen sitting on the road surrounded by police.

European Union law says migrants must apply for asylum in the country where they first enter the bloc, and Italy is struggling to deal with the growing numbers.