Seven dead as migrant boat capsizes off Spain's Canary Islands
A boat with migrants arrives at the port of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro, Spain. Photo: Reuters
Listen to article
Seven people, including four women and three girls, have died after a boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized while approaching the port of El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands, emergency services said on Wednesday.
The small vessel, believed to be carrying more than 100 people, overturned just metres from the dock as rescuers were attempting to disembark minors, Al Jazeera reported.
Spain's maritime rescue service said the sudden movement of passengers caused the boat to tip over and dump its occupants into the water.
Red Cross spokesman Alexis Ramos told broadcaster RTVE that there could be 'more than 100 people' on board, though the exact number of those missing remains unclear.
A helicopter airlifted two more children — a girl and a boy — to hospital in critical condition after they were pulled from the sea. The boat was first spotted roughly 10 kilometres (6 miles) offshore before being escorted to the dock, officials said.
Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into the latest incident.
The Canary Islands, located off Africa's western coast, have long been a key gateway for refugees and migrants attempting the perilous journey to European territory. Many travel in overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels, risking their lives in hopes of reaching Spain.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries last year, with the majority coming from Mali, Senegal and Morocco. Many embark from the Mauritanian coastline, often enduring treacherous conditions during the Atlantic crossing.
The route continues to see a large number of unaccompanied minors among the arrivals. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for increased support and safer migration pathways to prevent such tragedies.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Collapse of Indonesia quarry kills 19, six still missing as rescue efforts continue
Drone view of search and rescue operations in the aftermath of rock collapse at a quarry in Cirebon, West Java Province, Indonesia May 30, 2025 in this picture obtained from social media. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article A rock collapse at a quarry at Cirebon in West Java province has killed 19 people, injured eight and there are six still missing, local police said on Sunday. Indonesian search and rescue agency Basarnas said authorities continued their search on Sunday for people trapped in the rubble after the collapse on Friday. Police said they had named two suspects for environmental law violations and for not providing safety equipment and for negligence. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said in a statement it would investigate the cause of the collapse and conduct an assessment to identify any potential further landslides. Cirebon Regency is prone to soil movement, especially when precipitation is above normal, while the area of the collapse has a cliff slope, the chief of the ministry's geological agency, Muhammad Wafid, said in the statement. Wafid said the undercutting method used in the open mining area and the steep slope may also have played a role in the collapse. "While carrying out evacuation and search efforts, (rescuers) must pay attention to the weather and steep slopes, and not carry out activities during and after heavy rain, because this area still has the potential for further landslides that could hit or bury officers," Wafid said. The site of Friday's collapse in Cirebon is dangerous and "does not meet safety standards for workers", West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi posted on Instagram.
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business Recorder
Gaza aid system under pressure as thousands seek food
CAIRO: After a slow and chaotic start to the new US-backed aid system in Gaza, thousands of Palestinians have been arriving at distribution points, seeking desperately needed food despite scenes of disorder and fears of violence. The two hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private group sponsored by the United States and endorsed by Israel, have been running since Tuesday, but the launch was marred by tumultuous scenes when thousands rushed the fences and forced private contractors providing security to retreat. An Israeli military official told Reuters that the GHF was now operating four aid distribution sites, three in the Rafah area in the south and one in the Netzarim area in central Gaza. GHF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on whether it was now distributing aid in Netzarim. The new system has been heavily criticised by the United Nations and other aid groups as an inadequate and flawed response to the humanitarian crisis left by Israel's 11-week blockade on aid entering Gaza. Wessam Khader, a 25-year-old father of a three-year-old boy, said he had gone to a site near Rafah, despite widespread suspicions of the new system among Palestinians and warnings from group Hamas to stay away. He said he had gone every day since Tuesday but only obtained a 3 kg (6.6 pounds) package containing flour, canned sardines, salt, noodles, biscuits and jam on the first day. US calls UN criticism of Gaza aid effort 'height of hypocrisy' 'I was driven by the hunger, for several weeks we had no flour, we had nothing in the tent,' he told Reuters by telephone from Rafah. 'My son wakes every day asking for something to eat and I can't give him.' When he arrived with his father and brother, there were thousands there already and no sign of the identification process that Israeli officials had said would be in place to screen out anyone considered to have links to Hamas. 'I didn't see anything, no one asked for me for anything, and if there was an electronic gate or screening I think it collapsed under the feet of the crowds,' he said. The gates, the wire fences were all brought down and even plastic pipes, metal boards and fencing material was carried off. 'People were hungry and they took everything at the site,' he said. Earlier this week, GHP said it had anticipated such reactions from a 'distressed population'. For Palestinians in northern Gaza, cut off from the distribution points in the south even that remains out of reach. WHO says trucks with medical aid must be allowed into Gaza 'We see videos about the aid, and people getting some, but they keep saying no trucks can enter north where we live,' said Ghada Zaki, a 52-year-old mother of seven in Gaza City, told Reuters via chat app. Air strikes Israel imposed the blockade at the beginning of March, saying supplies were being stolen by Hamas and used to entrench its control over Gaza. Hamas denies stealing aid and says it has protected aid trucks from looters. Even as thousands made their way to the distribution site, Israeli jets continued to pound areas of Gaza, killing at least 45 people on Thursday, including 23 people in a strike that hit several houses in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical workers said. The Israeli military said it hit dozens of targets in Gaza overnight, including what it said were weapons storage dumps, sniper positions and tunnels. Speculation around a possible ceasefire agreement grew after U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the White House was preparing a draft document that could provide the basis for an agreement. However, it was unclear what changes to previous proposals were being considered that might overcome the deep differences between Hamas and Israel that have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire deal that broke down in March after only two months. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza must come back before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must commit to ending the war for a deal to work. Israel has come under increasing international pressure, with many European countries that have normally been reluctant to criticise Israel openly demanding an end to the war and a major humanitarian relief effort.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
Seven dead as migrant boat capsizes off Spain's Canary Islands
A boat with migrants arrives at the port of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro, Spain. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Seven people, including four women and three girls, have died after a boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized while approaching the port of El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands, emergency services said on Wednesday. The small vessel, believed to be carrying more than 100 people, overturned just metres from the dock as rescuers were attempting to disembark minors, Al Jazeera reported. Spain's maritime rescue service said the sudden movement of passengers caused the boat to tip over and dump its occupants into the water. Red Cross spokesman Alexis Ramos told broadcaster RTVE that there could be 'more than 100 people' on board, though the exact number of those missing remains unclear. A helicopter airlifted two more children — a girl and a boy — to hospital in critical condition after they were pulled from the sea. The boat was first spotted roughly 10 kilometres (6 miles) offshore before being escorted to the dock, officials said. Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into the latest incident. The Canary Islands, located off Africa's western coast, have long been a key gateway for refugees and migrants attempting the perilous journey to European territory. Many travel in overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels, risking their lives in hopes of reaching Spain. Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries last year, with the majority coming from Mali, Senegal and Morocco. Many embark from the Mauritanian coastline, often enduring treacherous conditions during the Atlantic crossing. The route continues to see a large number of unaccompanied minors among the arrivals. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for increased support and safer migration pathways to prevent such tragedies.
