One dead, 24 people missing off Spain’s Canary Islands

At least one person drowned and 24 were missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off Spain’s Canary Islands, the Spanish coastguard said Tuesday.

The boat departed from Cap Boujdour in Western Sahara with 61 people on board and rescuers overnight only found 36 alive, a spokeswoman for the coastguard said.

Two minors and 10 women were among the survivors rescued off the island of Gran Canaria and transported to safety, she added.

A coastguard spokesman had said earlier on Tuesday that 34 people were rescued and 26 were missing.

According to Spanish NGO, Caminando Fronteras, which helps migrant boats in distress, 27 people died in the accident, including 13 women and six babies.

The Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa has become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Europe.

Spain says that a total 6,359 people arrived in the Canaries illegally by sea between January 1 and April 15, 60 percent more than in the same period in 2021.

Last year as a whole, over 40,000 migrants managed to reach Spain by sea, interior ministry figures show, almost the same number of arrivals as the previous year.

Caminando Fronteras said more than 4,400 migrants were lost at sea trying to reach Spain in 2021, more than double the figure from 2020.

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