Dozens of migrants presumed dead after boat capsizes off Canary Islands

Shipwreck could be worst tragedy in crossings from Africa to the Canaries in 30 years, with up to 50 people still missing and nine confirmed dead

Rescue boats search for survivors after the sinking of a wooden boat near El Hierro in the Canary Islands, Spain. Reuters

Rescue crews on Sunday renewed the search for up to 50 migrants missing since their boat capsized near the Spanish island of El Hierro.

Authorities say hopes of finding survivors are slim. The shipwreck looks set to be the deadliest such incident in 30 years of regular crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands.

Nine people, including one child, have been confirmed dead after a boat sank in the early hours of Saturday. About 48 people who are still missing are presumed dead, said Fernando Clavijo, incumbent President of the Canary Islands.

Emergency workers have rescued 27 of the 84 migrants who were on board, trying to reach the Spanish coast after setting out from Nouadhibou in Mauritania, about 800km away.

The tragedy struck when rescuers arrived to assist the migrants after some had called emergency services, Spanish officials said. They had rushed to one side of the precarious boat, causing it to tip.

On Sunday, several coastguard vessels departed from the island of El Hierro to renew the search, supported by air assistance. Spanish authorities said the migrants were from Mali, Mauritania and Senegal.

Spanish government sources said the boat may have been carrying up to 90 people, rather than the 84 initially announced, which could put the number of missing at more than 50.

Emergency services received a call shortly after midnight on Saturday from the boat, which was about 7km east of El Hierro. It sank during the rescue operation, officials said.

“They had been at sea for at least two days without food and it seems there was a panic before the boat capsized,” said Anselmo Pestana, the Spanish government representative in the Canary Islands. High winds and poor visibility made the rescue difficult, he added.

Among the dead was a child aged 12-15, according to the NGO Walking Borders, which helps protect the rights of migrants.

Three other boats reached the Canary Islands during the night, carrying a total of 208 migrants.

Calm seas and gentle winds associated with late summer in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa have prompted a renewed surge of attempted crossings, authorities said this month, with a 154 per cent surge in numbers making the journey from Africa to the islands this year. A total of 21,620 migrants crossed from Africa to Spain in the first seven months of 2024, data from the EU's border agency Frontex showed.

In about 30 years of migrant crossings to the islands, the deadliest shipwreck recorded was in 2009 off the island of Lanzarote when 25 people died.

The latest disaster follows the death of 39 migrants in early September when a boat sank off Senegal while attempting a similar crossing to the Canaries, from where migrants hope to reach mainland Europe.