More and more migrants from Africa are choosing the Canary Islands route to reach Spain and thus the EU. This path is very dangerous. For many it ends fatally.
At least two people died when an African migrant boat crossed to the Canary Islands. The Spanish maritime rescue service said a ship and two helicopters were used to help the boat in distress on Tuesday in the Atlantic, around 140 kilometers south of the island of Gran Canaria. 38 of the 40 inmates were rescued alive. The two fatalities were male adults, it was said. Four of those rescued were taken to hospital in Gran Canaria in serious condition.
According to the respected Spanish aid organization “Caminando Fronteras”, at least 6,618 migrants died last year trying to reach Spain by sea. That was 177 percent more than in 2022, when at least 2,390 deaths were registered. The majority of deaths, 6,007, occurred last year on the route from West Africa to the Canary Islands. According to the organization, a total of 611 deaths were registered on the so-called Mediterranean route and on the Strait of Gibraltar.
Refugee boats have been arriving on the Canary Islands archipelago around 100 kilometers off the northwest coast of Africa for a long time. This phenomenon has continued to increase since last autumn. It is believed that it is related, among other things, to the political and social crisis in Senegal.
Source: Stern
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