Dozens of people are feared dead after a migrant boat sank near Spain's Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday (June 21), Spanish authorities and NGOs said.
Authorities have recovered two bodies, including that of a young boy, but the true number of the people on board is unknown.
Walking Borders founder Helena Maleno told CNN that her group received desperate calls from relatives of migrants aboard as early as Tuesday afternoon (June 20), saying the boat was drifting after losing all its engine power. Walking Borders have also alerted Spanish authorities to request a rescue operation.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Coast Guard announced that a Moroccan patrol boat had rescued 24 people alive. They join a total of 227 migrants across four boats who were rescued Thursday (June 22) near the Canary Islands. The migrants were taken to either Lanzarote or Gran Canaria.
More Migrants Bound for Europe
The Atlantic migration route has been called one of the deadliest in the world and is typically used by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. According to the United Nations International Organization for Migration, at least 559 people, including 22 children, died in 2022 in their attempt to reach the Canary Islands.
Earlier this month, a Libyan fishing boat filled to the gunwales with migrants sank off the coast of Greece, killing hundreds on board, mostly women and children. Nine of the survivors who were part of the crew of the sunken boat were arrested for smuggling hundreds of people into Europe.
Meanwhile, the Spanish rescue ship Aita Mari said she took part in the rescue of 294 people from a migrant ship off the Italian island of Lampedusa Thursday. According to Salvamento Maritimo Humanitario (SMH), the NGO that owns the ship, the Aita Mari was part of a joint operation with the Nadir rescue vessel belonging to the NGO ResQship and the Italian Coast Guard to recover everyone onboard.
Related Article: 9 Survivors Arrested Over Capsized Migrant Boat Off Greece; Protests Criticize Authorities' Response
