A Moroccan woman has been killed and three people injured when the Moroccan navy opened fire on a migrant boat off the coast of the country.

Moroccan Interior ministry officials said the speedboat’s driver, a Spanish national, “refused to obey” orders to stop in waters off M’diq-Fnideq, “forcing” the naval officers to open fire. The group of 25 people were believed to be attempting to cross illegally to Spain on Tuesday. The woman, identified locally as a 22-year-old law student, later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. Another of the injured was left in critical condition and had to have their arm amputated.

The Spanish captain was arrested unharmed, a local official added.

Morocco has become the main thoroughfare for migrants looking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, ever since Italy began turning away migrants this year after allegedly paying off smugglers in Libya to stop their people-trafficking trade. The journey to Spain is significantly shorter and so safer than the central Mediterranean route.

Morocco said it has foiled over 54,000 attempted crossings to nearby Spain in the last six months in alone.

Despite their attempts to crackdown on the illegal trade, the International Organisation for Migration said this year at least 38,000 people have successfully arrived in Spain by sea and land, three times the number who made the crossings in the same period last year. According to figures from the government, these included 7,100 Moroccans.

Migrants allowed to disembark the Diciotti ship in Italy following nine days stand-off

Posts on Facebook now advertise crossings to Europe for 7,000 dirhams (630 euros). Several videos circulate on social media showing Moroccan youth boarding small rubber boats flashing victory signs. Morocco is suffering from a soaring youth unemployment rate which has risen to nearly 30 per cent in recent months.

Morocco is trying to crack down on the smuggling trade, after nearly 400 people died this year attempting to get to Spain. Late Tuesday the Moroccan authorities announced they had arrested a Spanish citizen and his Moroccan “accomplice’ accused of smuggling migrants to Europe by boat.