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MIGRANT CRISIS

Three migrants found dead off Spain’s Canary Islands and 15 rescued

Three people were found dead in a canoe full of migrants that was rescued Saturday off the Canary Islands, Spanish maritime rescue officials said.

Published: 31 December 2023 13:02 CET
This handout picture from the Spanish coastguard shows three migrants on the rudder of Alithini II oil tanker off Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, after surviving an 11-day journey from Lagos to Spain's Canary Islands.
This handout picture from the Spanish coastguard shows three migrants on the rudder of Alithini II oil tanker off Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, after surviving an 11-day journey from Lagos to Spain's Canary Islands. On Saturday, three migrants were found dead off the Islands. (Photo by SALVAMENTO MARITIMO / AFP) 

Lifeguards managed to take 15 survivors off the boat found late afternoon some 314 kilometres (195 miles) south of the island of El Hierro, a spokesperson for the Spanish emergency services told AFP.

The survivors, some suffering from hunger and hypothermia, were transported by helicopter to El Hierro.

READ ALSO: What happens to undocumented migrants after they arrive in Spain?

The Canary Islands, Spanish islands off the north-west coast of Africa, are seeing the largest number of migrant arrivals since 2006.

READ ALSO: Spain’s Canary Islands receive record number of migrants in 2023

Most of the undocumented migrants risking the perilous crossing are from sub-Saharan Africa.   

READ ALSO: Spanish PM Sánchez says EU migrant deal ‘key’ for border management

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MIGRANT CRISIS

Three dead as migrant boat runs into trouble off Spain

Three people died and seven were listed as missing when a dinghy carrying migrants across the Mediterranean from Algeria ran into trouble off southern Spain, maritime rescue officials said Friday.

Published: 22 March 2024 17:55 CET
Three dead as migrant boat runs into trouble off Spain

Rescuers found the semi-sunken dinghy with two survivors and three bodies some 26 nautical miles south of the southern city of Motril on Friday, Spain’s maritime rescue service wrote on X.

The two survivors said the boat had been carrying 12 people when it set sail from Algeria six days ago, leading the authorities to suspect seven people may have fallen into the sea, it said.

The date and location of their disappearance was unclear.

A plane from the European Union’s Frontex border agency was helping in the search for the missing, it said.

Weather conditions were rough, with winds of up to 75 kilometres (47 miles) per hour and waves as high as three metres (10 feet).

Spain is one of the main gateways for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, with 56,852 undocumented migrants reaching its shores last year, an 82.1 percent jump from 2022.

The vast majority arrived on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. Several thousand die every year while attempting the journey.

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