RABAT, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least one illegal immigrant died and 38 others were rescued after their boat run into trouble off Morocco's northern city of Tangier, the Moroccan army said Monday.

The Moroccan navy coastguards assisted on Monday morning a boat in trouble off the west of Tangier that was carrying 38 Moroccan illegal immigrants and a dead body.

The boat, which started its trip on Oct. 8, lost its way following an engine failure, the source noted.

The rescued, found in poor health, were brought to Tangier's Port to receive necessary health care, it added.

In one week, the Moroccan navy arrested more than 1,230 migrants off the country's northern coasts.

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.