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Child among dozens of migrants drowned en route to Canary Islands
At least 35 irregular migrants are feared dead after their boat sank off the coast of Spain
An inflatable dinghy carrying an estimated 60 migrants sank en route to the Canary Islands from Morocco on Wednesday June 21. Maritime rescue services from both countries have so far pulled 24 people alive from the water while the Spanish team recovered two bodies, one of them a young child.
The search continues but the authorities fear that at least 35 people have lost their lives in the tragic accident.
“The boat got into difficulty and sank,” said a spokesperson for the Spanish rescue service. “A rescue operation was launched by the Moroccan authorities and they told us that one of their patrol boats rescued 24 people this morning. They asked for our help and one of our helicopters recovered the body of a minor, which was taken to Gran Canaria airport. Later on, a container vessel that took part in the search operation located another body.”
The spokesperson added: “We don’t know exactly how many people have disappeared but there could have been as many as 60 people aboard the inflatable boat.”
That very same morning, another dinghy carrying 51 passengers was intercepted after running into trouble off the coast of Lanzarote.
Spanish migration NGO Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) has lashed out at the Spanish and Moroccan authorities for their delay in responding to the maritime emergency that has resulted in the loss of so many lives.
“Having 60 people – among them six women and a baby – waiting for rescue for more than 12 hours on an unstable inflatable boat that could sink at any moment is torture,” Helena Maleno said.
The number of desperate migrants undertaking the treacherous journey to Spain spikes in the summer months and more than half a dozen bodies were recovered off the coast of Denia in Alicante last month. According to UN figures, 29,895 irregular immigrants reached Spain by sea in 2022, but 643 died during the crossing.
Image: Policía Nacional
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