Migrant boat capsizes off Spain’s Canary Islands, claiming 39 Lives

Rescue workers recovered the body of a minor and plucked 24 other migrants from the Atlantic Ocean off Spain’s Canary Islands after their dinghy sank, a Spanish coastguard spokeswoman said.

Spanish non-profit group Walking Borders, which works with migrants in peril and provides assistance to their relatives, said a total of 39 people had drowned.

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A Spanish coastguard helicopter sent to the area in response to a request for help from Moroccan authorities found the body of the minor but saw no other survivors, the coastguard spokeswoman said.

A Moroccan patrol boat rescued 24 people, she said, adding she did not know “how many people were on board the vessel” in total.

But Helena Maleno, of Walking Borders which tracks migrant deaths, said on Twitter that 39 people had died, including four women and a baby.

The boat had waited for over 12 hours for assistance, she added.

Contacted by AFP, there was no immediate reactions from Moroccan authorities.

The shipwreck happened about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of the island of Gran Canaria.

The migrant route from West Africa to the Canary Islands across the Atlantic has become more popular in recent years as authorities have cracked down on illegal migration in the Mediterranean.

The Atlantic Ocean is particularly infamous for its strong currents, which makes such trips extremely perilous.

Rescuers on Tuesday found the body of a pregnant woman on board a boat that was carrying some 50 migrants off the Canary Islands.

Spain is a major gateway for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

Over 11,200 migrants have died or disappeared since 2018 while trying to reach Spain by sea, according to a report published by Walking Borders at the end of 2022.

Last week at least 82 migrants died when the boat taking them from Libya to Italy capsized off the coast of Greece.

Authorities still have no clear idea how many people were aboard the boat when it sank — estimates range from 400 to over 700 — making it one of the deadliest accidents shipwrecks involving migrants in the Mediterranean.

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