Thirteen African would-be migrants were found dead on board a makeshift boat today after apparently dying of hypothermia on a voyage in severe weather to Spain's Canary Islands.
Police spotted the craft off the island of Fuerteventura and sent a boat to tow it to port. On board, survivors clung to the bodies of their dead relatives, according to Spanish news reports.
Thirty people survived, but three were in serious condition and taken to hospital, a government spokesman in the Canary Islands said.
The lightly dressed migrants are thought to have spent up to three days at sea in severe cold and rainy weather, although officials could not say where they started their voyage. They were without fuel, water or food, media reports said.
Television pictures showed the crumpled bodies of the migrants lying on the floor of a boat and dazed survivors being led ashore.
Another two would-be migrants died yesterday attempting to reach Spain but 35 were rescued when their flimsy boat ran into trouble off the Canary Islands.
Thousands of Africans attempt the treacherous journey to the Canaries or mainland Spain each year in search of a better life in Europe, usually making the crossing on long, low-lying boats operated by smugglers.
Moroccan immigrant group ATIME estimates some 4,000 people have died since 1997 in the attempt. Spanish police had detained more than 10,000 illegal immigrants this year as of mid-September, the government said. More than half were from Morocco and there were large numbers from Mali and Gambia.