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The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Migrant boat capsize kills seven in Spain's Canary Islands
MADRID: Four women and three girls drowned on Wednesday after migrants disembarking an overcrowded boat in Spain's Canary Islands accidentally capsized the vessel, rescuers said, in the latest tragedy on the perilous route. Emergency services in the Atlantic archipelago confirmed the seven deaths 'after the capsizing of a vessel' in La Restinga port on the island of El Hierro. They said on X that one of the girls was aged five and another 16. Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, said it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors. Authorities said it was not immediately clear where the boat had departed from or the nationalities of those on board. Juan Miguel Padron, mayor of El Pinar, north of La Restinga, told local television that some migrants were trapped in the boat and others died during the rescue when the vessel capsized upon reaching what he called 'the promised land'. 'It's terrible, just terrible,' he added. A three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl almost drowned and were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, the emergency services added. Two three-month-old babies, a pregnant woman and three minors were in hospital on El Hierro, they said. Spanish broadcaster RTVE aired footage of rescuers throwing lifebuoys to people clinging onto an overturned boat and treading water off El Hierro. The maritime rescue service told AFP in a statement that a rescue ship found the boat and accompanied it to La Restinga. 'During the disembarkation, some of the people travelling on the boat crowded on one of the sides, which caused it to tilt and capsize,' the service said. 'The transfer of people is the most delicate moment of the operation and, with the vessels being overloaded and with precarious security conditions, the difficulty increases notably.' Alpidio Armas, head of El Hierro's local government, questioned how the migrants could be saved on the high seas but die in the apparent safety of a port. 'We are doing something wrong,' he told reporters. 'Question of humanity' Each year, Spain takes 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. The central government's representative in the archipelago, Anselmo Pestana, explained that the migrants' fatigue complicated the emergency response in the water. 'If the rescue was not immediate, they probably sunk very quickly,' he told journalists on the island of Gran Canaria. Local authorities have consistently warned of unsustainable pressure on their resources and complained about a lack of solidarity. 'We ask for decisive action from the European Union,' the Canary Islands' regional leader Fernando Clavijo told journalists. 'This is unfortunately what we experience... those who are very far away in offices are incapable of understanding it.' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the deaths 'should move us all'. 'Lives lost in a desperate attempt to find a better future,' he added. Almost 47,000 irregular arrivals reached the Canaries 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 interior ministry figures.
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
7 Migrants Die as Boat Capsizes in Spain's Canary Islands
MADRID: Four women and three girls drowned on Wednesday after migrants disembarking an overcrowded boat in Spain's Canary Islands accidentally capsized the vessel, rescuers said, in the latest tragedy on the perilous route. Emergency services in the Atlantic archipelago confirmed the seven deaths 'after the capsizing of a vessel' in La Restinga port on the island of El Hierro. They said on X that one of the girls was aged five and another 16. Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, said it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors. Authorities said it was not immediately clear where the boat had departed from or the nationalities of those on board. Juan Miguel Padron, mayor of El Pinar, north of La Restinga, told local television that some migrants were trapped in the boat and others died during the rescue when the vessel capsized upon reaching what he called 'the promised land'. 'It's terrible, just terrible,' he added. A three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl almost drowned and were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, the emergency services added. Two three-month-old babies, a pregnant woman and three minors were in hospital on El Hierro, they said. Spanish broadcaster RTVE aired footage of rescuers throwing lifebuoys to people clinging onto an overturned boat and treading water off El Hierro. The maritime rescue service told AFP in a statement that a rescue ship found the boat and accompanied it to La Restinga. 'During the disembarkation, some of the people travelling on the boat crowded on one of the sides, which caused it to tilt and capsize,' the service said. 'The transfer of people is the most delicate moment of the operation and, with the vessels being overloaded and with precarious security conditions, the difficulty increases notably.' Alpidio Armas, head of El Hierro's local government, questioned how the migrants could be saved on the high seas but die in the apparent safety of a port. 'We are doing something wrong,' he told reporters. 'Question of humanity' Each year, Spain takes 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. The central government's representative in the archipelago, Anselmo Pestana, explained that the migrants' fatigue complicated the emergency response in the water. 'If the rescue was not immediate, they probably sunk very quickly,' he told journalists on the island of Gran Canaria. Local authorities have consistently warned of unsustainable pressure on their resources and complained about a lack of solidarity. 'We ask for decisive action from the European Union,' the Canary Islands' regional leader Fernando Clavijo told journalists. 'This is unfortunately what we experience... those who are very far away in offices are incapable of understanding it.' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the deaths 'should move us all'. 'Lives lost in a desperate attempt to find a better future,' he added. Almost 47,000 irregular arrivals reached the Canaries 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 interior ministry figures. government · immigration
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First Post
4 days ago
- General
- First Post
Four women, three girls killed after overcrowded migrant boat capsizes in Spain's Canary Islands
Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, said it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors read more A boat carrying immigrants capsized off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands. Image used for representational purpose Four women and three girls drowned on Wednesday after migrants disembarking an overcrowded boat in Spain's Canary Islands accidentally capsized the vessel, rescuers said, in the latest tragedy on the perilous route. Emergency services in the Atlantic archipelago confirmed the seven deaths 'after the capsizing of a vessel' in La Restinga port on the island of El Hierro. They said on X that one of the girls was aged five and another 16. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, said it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors. Authorities said it was not immediately clear where the boat had departed from or the nationalities of those on board. Juan Miguel Padron, mayor of El Pinar, north of La Restinga, told local television that some migrants were trapped in the boat and others died during the rescue when the vessel capsized upon reaching what he called 'the promised land'. 'It's terrible, just terrible,' he added. A three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl almost drowned and were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, the emergency services added. Two three-month-old babies, a pregnant woman and three minors were in hospital on El Hierro, they said. Spanish broadcaster RTVE aired footage of rescuers throwing lifebuoys to people clinging onto an overturned boat and treading water off El Hierro. The maritime rescue service told AFP in a statement that a rescue ship found the boat and accompanied it to La Restinga. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'During the disembarkation, some of the people travelling on the boat crowded on one of the sides, which caused it to tilt and capsize,' the service said. 'The transfer of people is the most delicate moment of the operation and, with the vessels being overloaded and with precarious security conditions, the difficulty increases notably.' Alpidio Armas, head of El Hierro's local government, questioned how the migrants could be saved on the high seas but die in the apparent safety of a port. 'We are doing something wrong,' he told reporters. 'Question of humanity' Each year, Spain takes 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The central government's representative in the archipelago, Anselmo Pestana, explained that the migrants' fatigue complicated the emergency response in the water. 'If the rescue was not immediate, they probably sunk very quickly,' he told journalists on the island of Gran Canaria. Local authorities have consistently warned of unsustainable pressure on their resources and complained about a lack of solidarity. 'We ask for decisive action from the European Union,' the Canary Islands' regional leader Fernando Clavijo told journalists. 'This is unfortunately what we experience… those who are very far away in offices are incapable of understanding it.' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the deaths 'should move us all'. 'Lives lost in a desperate attempt to find a better future,' he added. Almost 47,000 irregular arrivals reached the Canaries 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 interior ministry figures. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Daily Tribune
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Tribune
Migrant boat capsize kills seven in Spain's Canary I
Four women and three 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. Red Cross spokesman Alexis Ramos told RTVE there could be "more than 100 people" on the boat but was unable to provide a figure for the number of missing. 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 on X "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 rescuers then reported the death of two girls aged five and another aged 16, which meant the incident "has resulted in seven people dead". 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, the emergency services added on X. Four other minors with breathing difficulties were being taken to hospital on El Hierro, they added. 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. Local authorities have consistently warned of unsustainable pressure on their resources and complained about a lack of solidarity from the rest of the country. "Once again we witness the harshest face of immigration which those far away fail to appreciate in its true measure," the Canary Islands' regional leader Fernando Clavijo said on X. "Please listen to us!" 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.
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Seven dead after migrant boat capsizes near Canary Islands
MADRID — Four women and three girls died on Wednesday when a small boat carrying migrants capsized while arriving to port in the Canary Islands, emergency services in Spain said. Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some 9.6 kilometers from shore, said the boat tipped over as rescuers started removing children as it arrived at a dock on the island of El Hierro. Local media said the small boat appeared to be packed with more than 100 people. Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross were involved in a rescue operation, pulling several people out of the water. The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route for migrants trying to reach Europe. But it's also one of the world's most dangerous with the Spanish migrants' rights group Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) saying in a January report that more than 10,000 people had died last year trying to reach the archipelago. But a record number of migrants were more lucky, with authorities in the Canary Islands saying more than 43,000 people had arrived there in 2024. Several EU member countries have started to update their migration policies, just as migration also comes at the top of the European Council's agenda. In a letter to EU member states, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed speeding up the return of asylum seekers and opening detention centers in third countries, following the precedent set by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's controversial agreement with Albania. Meanwhile, the Spanish government announced last year the opening of an emergency reception centre at Ciudad Real airport to deal with asylum requests from irregular arrivals. And in March, Madrid adopted a measure to redistribute thousands of unaccompanied migrant minors currently sheltered on the Canary Islands to other parts of Spain. The reform ended a months-long political stalemate between Spain's regions and the central government and was aimed at easing pressure on overcrowded migrant reception centers, mainly in the Canary Islands. For several months, local leaders in the Canaries had complained about a lack of resources to shelter the thousands of unaccompanied children and teenagers who reach their shores. The Canary Islands are sheltering more than 5,000 unaccompanied minors across the archipelago. — Euronews
