More than 80 migrants, including an infant, have died while attempting to cross from Gambia to the Canary Islands by boat.
Sea-news.az reports citing Report and EFE, that this information has been released.
According to the report, the boat set off from Gambia in early August and remained at sea for 26 days. There were approximately 128 people on board the vessel.
The boat was spotted on the evening of September 2, about 120 kilometers from the island of Gran Canaria. When rescuers arrived at the scene, there were 44 surviving migrants and 5 bodies on board.
Due to adverse weather conditions and the urgent need to provide medical assistance to the survivors, rescuers were forced to leave the remaining bodies on the boat.
Three migrants in critical condition were evacuated by helicopter to hospitals in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In total, six people were hospitalized with symptoms related to dehydration, disorientation, and the ingestion of seawater.
According to preliminary information, the survivors are citizens of Gambia and Mali.
Based on statements given by the survivors to Red Cross representatives, there were more than 100 people on the boat at the beginning of the journey. According to them, the majority of the migrants lost their lives during the long and grueling sea voyage.
This incident has once again brought to the forefront the severe humanitarian risks associated with the illegal migration route from Africa to the Canary Islands across the Atlantic Ocean.
