XALIMANEWS- At least 9 people lost their lives and 48 are missing after a canoe carrying migrants sank near the island of El Hierro, in the Spanish Canary Islands, on the night of Friday to Saturday . According to the newspaper Le Temps, which cites Spanish maritime rescue, 84 people were on board the boat, and only 27 were able to be rescued after an emergency call received around midnight. The search continues to find the missing, while 9 bodies have already been recovered.
The source a new tragedy which adds to that which occurred at the beginning of September, when the sinking of another migrant boat off the coast of Senegal caused the death of around thirty people. For several years, thousands of migrants have attempted the dangerous crossing of the Atlantic to reach Europe, via the Canaries, aboard boats that are often overloaded and dilapidated.
The migration situation continues to worsen. As of August 15, 2024, 22,304 migrants had reached the Canaries, an increase of 126% compared to the same period in 2023. In response to this crisis, Spain recently signed agreements with Mauritania and the Gambia to strengthen the fight against smugglers and promote regulated migration. Despite these efforts, the maritime route between Africa and the Canaries, nicknamed the “road of death”, continues to be the scene of repeated tragedies.
Since 2014, at least 4,857 people have lost their lives or disappeared while attempting this crossing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This figure is likely much higher, with some NGOs such as Caminando Fronteras estimating that the actual number of victims could be as high as 18,680.
The Atlantic crossing remains one of the most perilous migration routes in the world, and recent regional cooperation initiatives are struggling to curb this humanitarian crisis.
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