RABAT, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy rescued Saturday 136 migrants off Morocco's northern coasts, the Moroccan army said on Saturday.

The navy assisted the migrants who were on board of two boats while facing difficulties off the northern cities of Tangier and Hoceima, the same source pointed out.

The migrants, who are Moroccans and from subsaharan African nations, were brought safe to the ports of the northern cities of Lksar Kbir and Nador.

In recent months, Morocco has been witnessing a significant hike in illegal immigration attempts.

The Moroccan government said its security services have thwarted at least 54,000 attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants into Europe in the first eight months of 2018, compared with 39,000 attempts a year earlier.