Boats with African migrants capsized on Thursday on their way to the Canary Islands. 42 people, including children, were killed. Migrants tried to cross from the northwest coast of Africa to the Spanish archipelago, the Spanish news agency Europa Press reported on Friday.
According to Spanish media, boats with African migrants heading to the Canary Islands capsized on Thursday afternoon, and the search for passengers did not end until Friday morning.
The tragic information was confirmed by the head of the human rights organization Caminando Fronteras, Helena Maleno. She specified that the boat capsized shortly after turning off the shores of Western Sahara. 42 people died. The Spanish activist confirmed that 30 women and eight children were among the victims of the incident.
According to Caminando Fronteras, this is the second tragic event this week off the coast of Western Sahara. The organization’s authorities recalled that three other Africans were killed there while trying to get to the Canary Islands.
Rescue operation in the Canary IslandsEFE
Over 2,000 victims during attempts to cross to Spain
According to Caminando Fronteras estimates, 2,087 people died in the first half of this year while trying to get into Spain. On the other hand, the Spanish Refugee Aid Commission (CEAR) estimates that the number of victims of the crossing to Spain was much smaller and amounted to 1,300.
According to the Ministry of the Interior in Madrid, in the first seven months of 2021, nearly 16.6 thousand illegal immigrants from Africa reached Spain from Africa, i.e. almost a half more than in a similar period in 2020. Over 7,500 of them came to the Canary Islands.
Main photo source: EFE