Migrant boat capsizes in Spain's Canary Islands, six dead
Four women and two girls died after their migrant boat capsized shortly before reaching safety in Spain's Canary Islands on Wednesday, emergency services said, the latest tragedy on the perilous route.
Emergency services in the Atlantic archipelago said rescuers supported by a helicopter were working to save people in the port of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro.
Spanish media reported at least 150 migrants were on board the boat.
Public broadcaster RTVE aired footage of rescuers throwing lifebuoys to people clinging onto an overturned boat and treading water off El Hierro.
Emergency services initially confirmed 'the death of two women after the capsizing of a vessel' in La Restinga, and later said 'health services confirm another two dead women.'
The services then reported the death of two girls aged five and 16, which meant 'the total number of dead has reached six people', they said on X.
A three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl were being treated after they almost drowned and would be transported by helicopter to a hospital in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, they added.
Four other minors with breathing difficulties were being taken to hospital on El Hierro, the emergency services said.
Spain takes in each year tens of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who arrive in the Canary Islands from west Africa, with Mali, Senegal and Morocco the most common nationalities.
Strong ocean currents and ramshackle vessels make the long crossing dangerous.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, at least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain by sea from January 1 to December 5, 2024.
Almost 47,000 irregular arrivals reached the archipelago in 2024, breaking the annual record for the second year running, as tighter controls in the Mediterranean pushed migrants to attempt the Atlantic route.
But numbers are down so far this year, dropping 34.4 percent between January 1 and May 15 compared with the same period in 2024, according to the latest interior ministry figures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
Makkah Region mayor reviews Saudi Red Crescent's preparedness for Hajj
RIYADH: Makkah Region Mayor Musaed bin Abdulaziz Al-Dawood visited the Saudi Red Crescent Authority's command and control center and medical evacuation department in Makkah on Monday, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance field readiness for the Hajj season. The mayor was briefed on the command and control system, medical evacuation procedures, and the extensive network of deployment centers strategically located across Makkah, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He reviewed coordination with relevant authorities, aiming to ensure efficient and high-quality emergency services. He also observed operational progress at the center, approved emergency response plans, the readiness of ambulance teams, and the advanced technologies used for monitoring, dispatching reports, and directing field teams in real-time throughout the Hajj season. Al-Dawood emphasized the importance of seamless coordination among all service sectors and praised the SRCA's vital role in delivering rapid emergency response to pilgrims.
Asharq Al-Awsat
14 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Verstappen Blames Frustration for a ‘Move That Was Not Right' After Colliding with Russell
Max Verstappen said Monday that frustration caused 'a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened', a day after he initially seemed unrepentant over his collision with George Russell at Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix. Before the collision, Verstappen had been asked by his Red Bull team to give up a place to Russell. It followed an earlier incident between the two drivers when Russell had tried to get past Verstappen, who went off the track. The race stewards ruled Verstappen had 'suddenly accelerated' before the collision and Russell said it 'felt very deliberate'. The stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty which dropped him from fifth to 10th and left him 49 points off standings leader Oscar Piastri, who won Sunday's race. 'We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out. Our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened,' Verstappen wrote on Instagram. 'I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you (at the next race) in Montreal.' Initially in the aftermath of Sunday's race, Verstappen had said that 'next time I will bring a tissue', responding to Russell claiming he set a poor example for young drivers. Russell finished fourth. The collision followed a series of setbacks for Verstappen, who had been in third and pressuring the two McLaren drivers in front before the safety car came out. Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen into the pits for fresh tires, even though the only ones he had left were slower hard-compound tires, a type that no other driver used. At the restart, Verstappen lost grip and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari made contact with Verstappen's Red Bull. Neither driver was ruled at fault for that. Verstappen then went off the track while defending against Russell and Red Bull asked Verstappen to give up the place to Russell, apparently because the team expected Verstappen would be given a penalty. The stewards later ruled they wouldn't have taken action against the Dutch driver for that incident. Risking a suspension Verstappen needs to be careful in the next two races because the penalty for the collision with Russell also brought him penalty points on his license, taking him to 11 in the last 12 months. Drivers get a one-race suspension if they hit 12 points in a year. Two of those points expire at the end of the month, but until then Verstappen needs to get through the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix without any further penalty points.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
More than 1,100 Migrants Crossed Channel on Saturday, UK Govt Data Shows
Some 1,194 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats on Saturday, a record for this year according to AFP counting from government data. It brings the overall number of migrant crossings this year to 14,808, an unprecedented figure despite several measures in place by the French and UK governments to curb the crossings. French coastal authorities said they also rescued nearly 200 migrants between late Friday and late Saturday. The latest crossings, which UK Defense Secretary John Healey described as "shocking", fall short of the all-time record of 1,300 migrants arriving on small boats in a day in September 2022. But they will still prove a headache for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been at pains to toughen his rhetoric on irregular immigration amid pressure from the far right to slash migrant numbers. "We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security," the Home Office said in a statement on the latest arrivals. Starmer unveiled tough new immigration policies this month that include doubling the length of time before migrants can qualify for settlement in the country and new powers to deport foreign criminals. The raft of measures was widely seen as an attempt to win back support from voters and fend off threats from the increasingly popular hard-right Reform party. Separate legislation to tackle irregular immigration, called the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, is currently going through parliament. But Saturday's crossings will be a fresh blow. The overall figure of 14,808 crossings is the highest for the first five months of the year since records began in 2018, when the route into the UK first became popular. It also surpassed the record for the number of crossings in the first six months of the year -- which stood at around 12,900 in the first six months of 2024. 'Shocking' On Saturday, a total 184 people were picked up in four different rescue operations on the French coast, the maritime prefecture for France's Channel and northern region said in a statement. In one instance, the motor died on a boat carrying 61 people. In another, nine people on a boat called for assistance. According to an AFP tally of official figures, 15 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Channel, one of the busiest areas in the world for shipping. "Pretty shocking, those scenes yesterday," Healey told Sky News in an interview Sunday. "We saw the smugglers launching elsewhere and coming around like a taxi to pick them up," he said, adding that "Britain's lost control of its borders". France this year agreed to allow its police patrols to intercept migrants in shallow waters, but they cannot stop a boat once it is on its way. "We've got the agreement (with the French) that they will change the way they work," Healey said. "Our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation." Healey also told the BBC: "What we now need is to work more closely with the French to persuade them to put that into operation so they can intervene in the water, in the shallow waters, which they don't at the moment."
