At least five people died and dozens more are feared dead after a boat carrying West African migrants experienced severe trouble in the Atlantic Ocean, with 44 individuals eventually brought to safety in Spain's Canary Islands.
Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service reported that one of its aircraft spotted a distressed boat approximately 74 miles south of Gran Canaria on Wednesday afternoon. Immediate rescue operations led to three survivors being airlifted to a hospital on the island. The remaining 41 migrants were brought ashore early Thursday in the port of Arguineguín and received care from the Red Cross.
According to José Antonio Rodríguez Verona, a spokesperson for the Red Cross in the Canaries, all survivors were male, some of whom were underage, and originated from Mali or Senegal. He stated that the survivors were disoriented and severely dehydrated, with many experiencing physical collapse or vomiting upon arrival. While their fragile condition made detailed information difficult to obtain, the migrants indicated they had departed from Gambia and endured an extended period at sea, with some estimating their journey lasted nearly a month. They reportedly ran out of provisions and resorted to drinking seawater, leading to illness.
Survivors also informed the Red Cross that the boat had initially carried over 100 people, including women and an infant. They recounted that as individuals died during the perilous voyage, their bodies were discarded into the ocean. Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service was unable to retrieve the bodies of the five deceased individuals found inside the boat due to strong winds and waves that were approximately eight feet high.
Helena Maleno, founder of the migrant rights organization Walking Borders, which tracks deaths and disappearances on migration routes to Spain, reported a higher death toll of 83, including three women and a baby. Maleno stated via a social media post that the boat had left Gambia 27 days prior. Walking Borders, often contacted by relatives of missing migrants, frequently relays calls for assistance to Spanish authorities.
The Atlantic route from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands is recognized as one of the most dangerous crossings to Europe. Despite a significant reduction in arrivals to the Spanish archipelago over the past year, thousands of people have died or disappeared in recent years, with some migrant boats becoming lost and drifting as far as the Americas.