A total of 54 people sailing from North Africa towards the Spanish coast were rescued at sea early Thursday, Spanish maritime sources said.

The group including two pregnant women and two babies were aboard a rubber boat when their boat were seen by a spotter plane and rescued by a Spanish Navy craft 52 nautical miles off the coast of southern Spain, the sources said.

Spain is a major entry point for a wave of illegal immigrants fleeing poverty in Africa for the European Union.