Madrid  - Nearly 3,000 African would-be immigrants drowned or died of exposure while trying to cross over to Spain in 2008, media reports Friday quoted a southern Spanish human rights group as saying.

The association Pro Derechos Humanos Andalucia (APDHA) said in its annual report that it was aware of 581 deaths.

Since most deaths never became known, about 2,900 migrants were likely have died in 2008, the group estimated.

The Spanish Interior Ministry puts the number of bodies found on Spanish coasts at 74 in 2008. APDHA accused the ministry of downplaying the real figures. (dpa)