The boat capsized off the coast of El Hierro island. At least nine people are dead

All passengers of the boat that capsized on the night from Friday to Saturday off the coast of the commune of Valverde were male. It cannot be ruled out that there were also minors among them, as one of the recovered bodies corresponds to the size of a boy aged 12-15. 27 people were saved. The search for the missing persons continues.

Activist Helena Maleno, spokeswoman for the non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras, said the boat sailed from Mauritania.

Two other boats arrived in the village of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro on the night from Friday to Saturday. The first one, which reached the shore around midnight, contained 131 people, including 15 women and nine children.

Prime minister Spain Pedro Sánchez promised in August 50 million euros 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 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 were opposed by the People's Party (PP), the country's largest opposition party, as well as the Vox and Together for Catalonia (Junts) groups.

Spain's Interior Ministry has recorded a 66 percent increase in the number of people entering the country illegally in just over seven months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Most immigrants, about 70 percent, come to Spain illegally via the Canary Islands. Compared to the first months of last year, their number increased by 126 percent.