A Moroccan woman died and three others wounded, including one in serious conditions, after the country's navy opened fire at a speedboat carrying illegal migrants, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to Hespress.com news site, the woman who died of her injuries in hospital was 22 years old, while the seriously injured person was transferred to a hospital in the capital Rabat.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that four people were wounded after a naval unit in the Mediterranean was forced to fire on the boat after the ship's Spanish captain refused to respond to several warnings.

The Moroccan news site said the boat was carrying nearly 20 Moroccan illegal migrants.

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

Morocco thwarted at least 54,000 attempts to smuggle illegal migrants into Europe in the first eight months of 2018, compared with 39,000 attempts a year earlier, the Moroccan government said.