Authorities in the Canary Islands said on Sunday that there was “slim” hope of finding any of the nearly 50 missing migrants whose boat sank near the island of El Hierro. The disaster may turn out to be the most tragic accident of this type in 30 years.
Down capsizing of a boat with migrants occurred on Saturday off the coast of the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands archipelago. So far, emergency services have confirmed the deaths of nine people, including a child. The search for 48 missing people is still ongoing.
27 of the 84 migrants on board were rescued.
“Unfortunately, we assume the worst”
The search continued on Sunday, involving three patrol boats and three helicopters, said a spokesman for the Spanish Coast Guard.
– Unfortunately, we assume the worst. The search continues, but the chances of finding anyone alive appear to be slim, a spokeswoman for the Canary Islands government told Reuters on Sunday.
Spanish authorities said the migrants came from Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. All the boat's passengers were male.
Services involved in a search and rescue operation after a boat capsized off the coast of El Hierro island PAP/EPA/Gelmert Finol
The Canary Islands are facing a migration crisis
Two other boats arrived in the village of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro on the night from Wednesday to Thursday. The first one, which reached the shore around midnight, contained 131 people, including 15 women and nine children.
Prime minister Spain Pedro Sánchez in August he promised EUR 50 million in aid for those struggling with migration crisis Canary Islands, primarily for care related to immigrant minors. According to local authorities, juvenile detention centers are over 250 percent full.
The Canary Islands are facing a migration crisis PAP/EPA/CARLOS DE SAA
The government of the Canary Islands is demanding that Congress amend the Aliens Act, which would enable the central authorities to relocate minor immigrants to various parts of the country. The proposed changes were already put to a vote in parliament at the end of July, but they were opposed by the People's Party, the country's largest opposition party, as well as the Vox and Together for Catalonia groups.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior recorded an increase of 66%. the number of people entering the country illegally in just over seven months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The most, about 70 percent. illegal immigrants arrive in Spain via the Canary Islands. Compared to the first months of last year, their number increased by 126%.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/CARLOS DE SAA