7 women and girls die when boat capsizes while arriving at port in Canary Islands
Spanish emergency services say four women and three girls died when a small boat carrying migrants capsized while arriving in a port at one of Spain's Canary Islands on Wednesday.
Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) from shore, said the boat tipped over as rescuers started removing minors as it arrived at a dock on the island of El Hierro.
The movement of people on the boat caused it to tip and then turn over, dumping the occupants into the water, the service said.
Emergency services for the Canary Islands said four women, a teenage girl and two younger girls perished in the accident. One of the girls was found by a rescue diver.
A helicopter evacuated two more children, a girl and a boy, to a local hospital in serious condition after they nearly drowned, the service added.
Local media reports said the small boat appeared to be packed with over 100 people. Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross pulled people out of the water.
The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route for migrants who risk their lives in dinghies and rubber boats unfit for long journeys in the open sea. Thousands have been known to die on the way to European territory.
Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, surpassing previous records for a second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania.
The arrivals include thousands of unaccompanied minors.
Some 10,800 people had arrived via the Atlantic to the Canary Islands by mid-May, which was down by 34% compared to the same period in 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gladstone community details deadly home explosion: ‘Still in shock'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Red Cross is offering assistance after an explosion on Saturday morning destroyed a home in a Gladstone neighborhood. Authorities confirm that one person who lived there and a dog died. People who live nearby are still in a state of shock. Shawnee Police searching for Jackson Co. Legislator Manny Abarca, son 'My husband and I just fell to the ground. The kids were downstairs. The dogs were terrified. It was just really scary,' next door neighbor Ashleigh Tomlin recalled. 'A little bit of PTSD, I think, just we're still in shock, the loss of our neighbor is just devastating. My husband's known him for 20-plus years.' Tomlin's doorbell camera shows the moment her next-door neighbor's home exploded. 'Our cars are probably not totaled, but they're pretty close, so they're going to tow those off and get us rental cars tomorrow. Then the structural people and the engineers, and USAA, our homeowners insurance, will be out here tomorrow morning,' Tomlin said. A spokesperson for the Red Cross told FOX4 on Sunday, they are working with two impacted neighbors and are in contact with the family of the person who passed. The Red Cross offers assistance for those whose homes were affected in a fire or explosion, such as this, with replacement of medicine, food, clothing and a place to stay. The Red Cross also has disaster mental health workers to assist those affected. Tomlin said a state representative also stopped by the neighborhood Sunday to offer support. 'He came to our door. He works out of Jeff City and represents us. He said if we had any problems, just to give him a call personally, and he would help take care of things. So I can't say enough for the integrity of a man like that to come to your door personally and offer his help,' Tomlin said. She's also thankful for the response from law enforcement and first-responding agencies at the scene on Saturday. 'We just ran out. The police officers were wonderful. They helped me. They went through the house. They got the dogs in their kennels. They helped me carry them. I mean, it was really neat to see the community kind of come together and really help us out,' Tomlin explained. Royals call up No. 1 prospect Jac Caglianone to MLB Gladstone Police did not have any updates to share on Sunday. FOX4 reached out to Spire to inquire about the explosion. A spokesperson for Spire sent the following response: 'While we are cooperating with authorities on their investigation and defer to them on a cause, it is our understanding this was not a natural gas-related incident.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Homeless seek refuge at Madrid airport as rents soar
Victor Fernando Meza works during the day, but his salary is not enough to afford rent in the Spanish capital Madrid. So, once again, the 45-year-old Peruvian will spend the night at the airport. On a sweltering May evening, Meza arrived at Barajas airport before 9:00 pm -- just in time to get past security. Any later, and people without a boarding pass are not allowed in under a new policy implemented a week ago to deter the hundreds of homeless people staying overnight. The measure aims to address the rising number of people sleeping in Spain's busiest airport -- a situation thrust into the spotlight by images showing rows of people lying on the floor among bags and shopping carts, sparking a blame game between government officials. Those who call Barajas home say the increased scrutiny in Europe's fifth busiest airport is unwelcome. They doubt solutions will come and fear losing what they see as the safest place to sleep, compared to the streets or the metro in a city where homeless shelters have limited capacity. "We just want to be left alone," Meza told AFP. "To be treated like people, not animals." Meza blames Aena, the state-owned company that manages Spanish airports, for mishandling the humanitarian situation that has also occurred to a lesser extent in Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife. Aena argues its facilities were never meant to house hundreds of homeless people. - 'Look down on you' - Meza said the Barajas security guards know those who cause trouble in the airport. "The ones who smoke, the ones who drink every day. They should be the ones kicked out, not all of us," he said. Meza works occasional moving jobs and is hoping to save enough to rent an apartment with his brother. But like elsewhere in Spain, housing prices in the capital have soared and social housing is scarce. The average monthly rent for a 60-square-metre (645-square-foot) apartment in Madrid has almost doubled to 1,300 euros ($1,415) from about 690 euros a decade ago, according to figures from real estate website Idealista. Sleeping in Madrid's airport has taken a toll on Meza. "People look down on you, there's still a lot of racism here," he said, adding that he plans to return to Peru when he turns 50. Zow, a 62-year-old construction worker from Mali who spends his nights at Barcelona's airport, is also weary of the stares he gets. "I don't like sleeping here. It's awful, everyone looks at you like this," he said, imitating a look of disdain. - Blame game - Around 421 people were sleeping rough at Madrid's airport in March, a survey by a Catholic charity group counted. Most were men, half had been sleeping at the airport for over six months and 38 percent said they had a job. Nearly all of them would leave the airport during the day. The issue has exposed deep divisions among the institutions tasked with addressing homelessness. City and regional governments in Madrid have clashed with Aena, which operates under the control of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist administration. "Primary social care is the responsibility of the local government," Aena said in a statement, adding the city must fulfil its "legal duty to care for vulnerable populations". Madrid's conservative Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida fired back, arguing that the central government controls Aena and "what's happening depends on several ministries". The city insists that most of those sleeping in the airport are foreigners who should fall under Spain's international protection system. Despite the finger-pointing, both sides have agreed to hire a consultancy to count and profile those sleeping at the airport. The study results are expected by the end of June. But Meza is sceptical. "We don't want help. We don't want anything. We just don't want to be bothered," he said. al-aa/ds/chz/rmb/dhw
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
San Jose house fire displaces residents
The Brief Firefighters were called about 2:45 p.m. to the house in the 1900 block of Seaview Drive on reports of an attic fire. The fire was quickly knocked down, but the damage forced six people to be displaced from the area. The cause of the fire is under investigation. SAN JOSE, Calif. - An attic fire damaged a house in San Jose on Sunday afternoon, putting six people out of their home. What we know San Jose Fire Department units were called about 2:45 p.m. to the house in the 1900 block of Seaview Drive in the Dorsa - Miller neighborhood on reports of a fire burning in an attic above a garage, according to a department statement. Traffic was impacted as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, and the public was advised to avoid the area as operations were conducted. The SJFD reported that the fire had been knocked down by about 3:10 p.m., but the damage caused by the flames forced six adults to be displaced from the home. The Red Cross was called in to provide assistance to the displaced residents. What we don't know The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Source San Jose Fire Department
