Four women, a girl, and a child tragically lost their lives after the capsizing of a vessel they were on just before reaching safety in the Canary Islands on Wednesday, according to emergency services, marking yet another tragedy on the perilous migration route.
The emergency services reported on “X” that rescue teams supported by helicopters were working to save individuals at the port of La Restinga on El Hierro Island.
Spanish media indicated that at least 150 migrants were aboard the vessel.
Public broadcaster RTVE aired footage of rescuers throwing life rings to individuals clinging to an overturned boat in the waters off El Hierro.
Emergency services initially confirmed the deaths of two women following the vessel’s capsizing in La Restinga, later reporting that “health services confirmed the deaths of two more women.”
It was subsequently announced that two girls, one five years old and the other 16, had died, raising the total number of fatalities to six.
The same source added that a three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl were receiving treatment after nearly drowning, and they would be airlifted to a hospital in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands.
Additionally, four other minors suffering from breathing difficulties were taken to a hospital in El Hierro, according to emergency services.
Spain receives tens of thousands of migrants annually heading to Europe, arriving in the Canary Islands from West Africa, primarily from Mali, Senegal, and Morocco.
Strong ocean currents and deteriorating vessels increase the risks of the long journey.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, at least 10,457 migrants have died or gone missing while attempting to reach Spain by sea from January 1 to December 5, 2024.
Approximately 47,000 irregular migrants reached the archipelago in 2024, marking a record high for the second consecutive year, as tightened controls in the Mediterranean lead migrants to use the Atlantic route.
However, the number has reportedly declined so far this year, showing a decrease of 34.4% from January 1 to May 15 compared to the same period in 2024, according to the latest data from the Ministry of the Interior.
