Las Palmas, Spain, Jul 10 (EFE).- Spain’s maritime safety agency on Monday rescued 86 sub-Saharan African migrants who were traveling in a flimsy vessel in a bid to reach the Canary Islands.
A search continues, meanwhile, for another migrant vessel that had set off from the Western African nation of Senegal and was carrying around 200 people.
That latter boat has been missing for two weeks.
The 80 men and six women on board the vessel located Monday, who were found at a spot some 80 nautical miles (130 km) south of the island of Gran Canaria, are apparently in good health, a spokesman for Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society told Efe.
That agency had initially reported that a vessel carrying 200 people had been spotted by a search aircraft.
However, it later became clear that a different migrant boat was found when a definitive count put the number on board at 86.
In recent weeks, several large migrant boats with up to 159 occupants have arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands, while numerous migrant boats have reportedly set sail from the coast of Senegal.
At times, four, five or more boats have departed at the same time.
Some were intercepted in Mauritania, while others are still missing. The one carrying 200 people set off on June 27 from Kafountine, Senegal.
The maritime route to the Canary Islands is considered one of the most dangerous between the African continent and Europe, with more than 1,500 deaths reported since 2021, according to the International Organization for Migration. EFE
nac/mc
