Dozens feared dead after migrant boat found drifting near Spain’s Canary Islands

Dozens are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants that departed Gambia last month was found by authorities drifting off Spain’s Canary Islands late Wednesday. Helena Maleno, the head of the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), said that 83 of the boat’s 127 passengers had died, with four women and a baby among the victims. The passengers had embarked on the journey from the West African nation 27 days ago, she said. Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society, also known as SASEMAR, told CNN that they had rescued a “makeshift boat” on Wednesday night that was drifting 65 nautical miles southwest of Arguineguín, a town on the south coast of Gran Canaria. Forty-four people were rescued from the boat, SASEMAR told CNN, including three people who were in critical condition and airlifted to a local hospital. SASEMAR said that they were unable to retrieve the bodies of five other people, saying adverse weather conditions hindered the operation. All of the people found on board were men from sub-Saharan Africa, according to the maritime authority, which said it could not confirm how many passengers the boat was carrying when it left Gambia. A spokesperson for the Red Cross in the Canaries, which is caring for the survivors, said they came from Mali or Senegal and that some were underage. Speaking to The Associated Press, José Antonio Rodríguez Verona said they were disoriented and dehydrated, with many collapsing or vomiting when they arrived on land. The spokesperson said they reported being stranded at sea for “many, many days,” with some estimating it had been nearly a month. They had run out provisions and fallen ill from drinking seawater. According to Rodríguez Verona, survivors had said there were originally more than 100 people on board, including women and a baby. The bodies of those who died had been thrown in the ocean until those remaining no longer had the strength to do so. The Canary Islands route remains the deadliest stretch of the Africa-Europe migration corridor, according to Caminando Fronteras. The charity recorded 1,317 deaths on migration routes to Spain in just the first five months of this year, including 142 women and 129 children. Nearly half of those deaths occurred on the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands. Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands government, said on X that it is “unbearable that lives continue to be lost” and that his government shouldn’t “normalize the face that the Atlantic continues to be a route of death.” Clavijo added that the incident highlighted the need for a better state migration policy. “We cannot continue managing migration from crisis to crisis. We are talking about lives and dignity,” he said. The tragedy comes as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is under pressure over his country’s migration policies after an estimated 72,000 people crossed from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in two days in July. The mass border crossing sparked nationwide protests and a diplomatic row between Spain and Italy. CNN’s Pau Mosquera contributed reporting.