Dozens feared dead as dinghy bound for Spain's Canary Islands sinks

The islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for asylum seekers trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller share trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland.

The early summer months are a peak time for asylum seekers to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea. / Photo: Reuters Archive
Reuters Archive

The early summer months are a peak time for asylum seekers to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea. / Photo: Reuters Archive

More than 30 asylum seekers have been feared dead after a dinghy headed for Spain's Canary Islands sank, two migration-focused organisations have said.

Helena Maleno, head of Spain's Walking Borders migrants charity, said in a tweet on Wednesday that 39 people had drowned, without giving further details, while Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European network supporting rescue operations, said 35 people were missing.

Walking Borders and Alarm Phone said the dinghy was originally carrying 59 people.

Earlier on Wednesday, Alarm Phone reported the boat was taking on water and three passengers were dead, adding: "We demand immediate rescue, do not let them down!"

Neither Spain's coastguard nor the Moroccan authorities would confirm how many people had been on board the vessel or how many might be missing.

A Spanish coastguard source said that an operation carried out by Morocco some 141 km to the southeast of Gran Canaria island rescued 24 people.

The body of one child was recovered by the Spanish maritime rescue service and sent by helicopter to Gran Canaria, a Spanish coastguard source added, as Moroccan authorities requested their help.

The coastguard later tweeted that a second body had been found by a merchant ship, the Navios Azure, without giving more details.

"The dinghy had been begging for rescue in Spanish waters for more than twelve hours. Among the survivors, 24 people, 22 men, 2 women, are being transferred to Cap Boujdour," Maleno of Walking Borders said on Twitter.

Canary Islands: favourite route to Europe

The islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller share trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland.

At least 5,914 people reached the Canary islands between Jan. 1 and June 15 this year, according to Spanish government figures, a 31.5 percent drop compared with the same period in 2022.

The early summer months are a peak time for asylum seekers to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

A pregnant woman also died this week onboard a dinghy as she tried to reach Spain. Spain's coastguard said on Tuesday that the woman's body was found on a vessel carrying 42 men, seven women and three children near the Atlantic coast of Lanzarote.

On Monday, another trawler spotted a migrant boat near Mogan, in Gran Canaria, with 53 people on board. Three of them were in poor health, the coastguard said.

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