Coast guard patrol boats and helicopters looked for around 48 migrants who disappeared after their boat capsized off El Hierro on Sunday in what could be the deadliest incident in 30 years of migration from Africa to the Canary Islands.
Nine people, including one child, have been confirmed dead after a boat they were travelling in capsized in the wee hours of Saturday, according to the emergency and rescue services.
On Saturday, the would-be refugees were attempting to reach the Spanish coast; 27 out of 84 migrants were rescued. Three patrol boats and three helicopters were involved in the resumed search on Sunday, a Spanish coastguard official said to Reuters.
The migrants were from Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, according to Spanish authorities.
Migrants’ arrivals by sea from West Africa to the Canary Islands rose 154% during the first seven months of this year to 21,620, according to data obtained from the Frontex, the European Union border agency.
Whereas there was an increase of 57% from Turkey to Greece and 22% from over the English channel to Britain.
Around four miles east of El Hierro at around half past midnight on Saturday Spanish emergency services received a call from the boat. They said it sank during the rescue attempt. The two main challenges during the rescue were wind and visibility.
“If what happened yesterday and if the forecast for the arrival of the migrant boats happens, then it will be the biggest humanitarian crisis to happen to the Canary Islands in the last 30 years,” a spokeswomen for the Canary Islands government Candelaria Delgado said.
Out of those rescued, three had hypothermia and dehydration, according to rescue services, on Sunday.
The nine who perished in the desert will be buried on Monday and Tuesday. There was one minor aged between 12 and 15 years among the dead, as stated by Walking Borders, a non-governmental organization that aids migrants.
Police said as chances of rescuing the remaining people dwindled, the authorities set up a morgue in El Hierro.
Three other boats arrived in the Canary Islands during the night with 208 migrants on board.
Authorities in mediterranean border countries said this month that new peaceful wave of immigrants in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa typical of late summer has led to new increased migrant arrivals.
This was the worst migrant shipwreck recorded so far in the 30-year history of migration to the Canary Islands, 25 people died, and this happened in 2009 near Lanzarote Island.
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