Dozens of migrants feared drowned after dinghy sinks off Canary Islands

More than 30 migrants were feared dead after a dinghy headed for Spain’s Canary Islands sank on Wednesday, two migration-focused organisations said on Wednesday.

Helena Maleno, head of Spain’s Walking Borders migrants charity, said in a tweet that 39 people had drowned when the boat carrying 59 people sank, without giving further details, while Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European network supporting rescue operations, said 35 people were missing.

Earlier on Wednesday, Alarm Phone reported the boat was taking on water and three passengers were dead.

Neither Spain’s coastguard nor the Moroccan authorities would confirm how many people had been on board the vessel or how many might be missing.

Tories’ greatest disservice to the UK has been to misunderstand the US

---

‘Let us wake up’: Macron warns of far-right on German trip as he and Scholz wrangle over hard issues

---

Starmer wraps himself in the flag to woo back patriotic British voters

---

How Mexico’s president won over the working class

---

[ Suspected smugglers detained pending trial over shipwreck off Greece ]

A Spanish coast guard source said an operation carried out by Morocco some 140km southeast of Gran Canaria rescued 24 people.

The body of one child was recovered by the Spanish maritime rescue service and sent by helicopter to Gran Canaria, the source added, as Moroccan authorities requested their help. The Spanish coast guard later tweeted that a second body had been found by a merchant ship.

Morocco’s Interior ministry has not responded to request for comment.

“The dinghy had been begging for rescue in Spanish waters for more than 12 hours. Among the survivors, 24 people, 22 men, two women, are being transferred to Cap Boujdour,” said Ms Maleno.

The islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller share trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland.

At least 5,914 people reached the Canary islands between January 1st and June 15th this year, according to Spanish government figures, a 31.5 per cent drop compared with the same period in 2022.

A pregnant woman also died this week onboard a dinghy as she tried to reach Spain. Spain’s coastguard said on Tuesday the woman’s body was found on a vessel carrying 42 men, seven women and three children near the Atlantic coast of Lanzarote.

On Monday, another trawler spotted a migrant boat near Mogan, in Gran Canaria, with 53 people on board. Three of them were in poor health, the coastguard said. - Reuters