More than 80 migrants may have died near the Canary Islands
More than 80 migrants, including a child, may have died near the Canary Islands after drifting in the Atlantic Ocean for 27 days. Spanish maritime rescuers found the boat on Wednesday about 65 nautical miles southwest of the town of Arguineguín on the island of Gran Canaria, BBC News reports.
44 people survived
There were 44 survivors aboard the vessel, as well as five bodies. According to Spain's Maritime Rescue Service, all those rescued were men from sub-Saharan African countries.
Three survivors were airlifted to hospital in critical condition. The remaining rescued people were transported by sea to Gran Canaria, where they disembarked early Thursday morning.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The boat left Gambia
Available information indicates that the vessel left Gambia in early August and may have had 127 people on board. Human rights activist Elena Maleno Garzón, founder of the Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras, said that 83 people died.
At the same time, the Maritime Rescue Service said it could not confirm the initial number of people aboard, as this does not fall within its remit. Due to adverse weather, rescuers were unable to retrieve the five bodies from the boat: winds of 20 knots and waves 2.5 metres high were recorded in the operation area.
