New deadly tragedy on migratory routes: during the night from Friday to Saturday at least nine people died in the sinking of their boat off the coast of the Canary Islands, approximately 7 kilometers from the coast of the island of El Hierro, according to Spanish maritime rescue services cited by theAFP.
The boat was carrying 84 people, 48 are still missing and 27 were rescued. One of the bodies found lifeless corresponds to a teenager aged 12 to 15 years old according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
Spanish maritime rescue received a call from the boat around 12:15 a.m. When they arrived on site, the boat had capsized. Only 27 people were able to be brought ashore.
A deadly road
The day before, this Friday, September 27, another boat had reached the coasts of the island of El Hierro with 59 people on board. In September, sailing conditions are considered favorable and the number of attempted crossings from the African coast increases.
The year 2024 is already shaping up to be another record year in terms of passages. By mid-August, more than 22,304 migrants had taken the Atlantic route to enter Europe via the Canaries since the start of the year.
Increasingly used, this route is also very deadly, the boats not being equipped to withstand the high seas and the very strong currents in this area. At the beginning of September, the sinking of another boat off the coast of Senegal left 39 dead.
Read also : 89 migrants die at sea off the coast of Mauritania
The United Nations migration agency, the IOM, suggests that at least 4,857 people have died on this maritime route since 2014. A figure that it itself recognizes as underestimated. According to a Spanish NGO, Caminando Fronteras, the number of victims is almost four times higher, around 18,700 people.
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