Four women, three girls killed after overcrowded migrant boat capsizes in Spain's Canary Islands

Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, said it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors read more
A boat carrying immigrants capsized off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands. Image used for representational purpose
Four women and three girls drowned on Wednesday after migrants disembarking an overcrowded boat in Spain's Canary Islands accidentally capsized the vessel, rescuers said, in the latest tragedy on the perilous route.
Emergency services in the Atlantic archipelago confirmed the seven deaths 'after the capsizing of a vessel' in La Restinga port on the island of El Hierro.
They said on X that one of the girls was aged five and another 16.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, said it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors.
Authorities said it was not immediately clear where the boat had departed from or the nationalities of those on board.
Juan Miguel Padron, mayor of El Pinar, north of La Restinga, told local television that some migrants were trapped in the boat and others died during the rescue when the vessel capsized upon reaching what he called 'the promised land'.
'It's terrible, just terrible,' he added.
A three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl almost drowned and were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, the emergency services added.
Two three-month-old babies, a pregnant woman and three minors were in hospital on El Hierro, they said.
Spanish broadcaster RTVE aired footage of rescuers throwing lifebuoys to people clinging onto an overturned boat and treading water off El Hierro.
The maritime rescue service told AFP in a statement that a rescue ship found the boat and accompanied it to La Restinga.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'During the disembarkation, some of the people travelling on the boat crowded on one of the sides, which caused it to tilt and capsize,' the service said.
'The transfer of people is the most delicate moment of the operation and, with the vessels being overloaded and with precarious security conditions, the difficulty increases notably.'
Alpidio Armas, head of El Hierro's local government, questioned how the migrants could be saved on the high seas but die in the apparent safety of a port.
'We are doing something wrong,' he told reporters.
'Question of humanity'
Each year, Spain takes tens of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who arrive in the Canary Islands from west Africa – with Mali, Senegal and Morocco the most common nationalities.
Strong ocean currents and ramshackle vessels make the long crossing dangerous.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, at least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain by sea from January 1 to December 5, 2024.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The central government's representative in the archipelago, Anselmo Pestana, explained that the migrants' fatigue complicated the emergency response in the water.
'If the rescue was not immediate, they probably sunk very quickly,' he told journalists on the island of Gran Canaria.
Local authorities have consistently warned of unsustainable pressure on their resources and complained about a lack of solidarity.
'We ask for decisive action from the European Union,' the Canary Islands' regional leader Fernando Clavijo told journalists.
'This is unfortunately what we experience… those who are very far away in offices are incapable of understanding it.'
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the deaths 'should move us all'.
'Lives lost in a desperate attempt to find a better future,' he added.
Almost 47,000 irregular arrivals reached the Canaries in 2024, breaking the annual record for the second year running, as tighter controls in the Mediterranean pushed migrants to attempt the Atlantic route.
But numbers are down so far this year, dropping 34.4 percent between January 1 and May 15 compared with the same period in 2024, according to interior ministry figures.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Time of India

2 hours ago

• Time of India

Air India crash aftermath: Broken hearts & empty homes; a husband who hasn't cried, an elderly who won't go home

AHMEDABAD: Eleven days after the London-bound AI 171 crashed in Ahmedabad, victims' families continue to struggle with overwhelming grief, with many displaying unexpected reactions to trauma that has left counsellors concerned. One of the most heartbreaking cases is a 27-year-old man who lost his wife and has been unable to cry even once. The couple had married in 2024, and he had flown ahead to set up their new home in London. "I should have been with her," the guilt-ridden man has been telling himself repeatedly, too traumatised to come to terms with the loss. During their last conversation, his wife had told him repeatedly not to get delayed and keep her waiting at London's Gatwick airport. "So, when he received news of the crash, he took the first available flight and reached Ahmedabad, rebuking himself for getting late. He visited the (hospital) campus for three days to complete procedures and take home her remains for last rites. He did not cry, could not cry rather, even once," said a counsellor at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. Hospital authorities have appointed 10 counsellors - primarily experienced psychiatrists - to help families cope with the deaths of loved ones. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Urvika Parekh, one of the counsellors, recounted breaking the news to a seven-year-old girl. "She had come to give DNA samples for identification of remains. The family could not break the news to her. Some families have lost multiple family members. The void is hard to fill," Parekh said. The counsellors have encountered several instances of families unable to return to normal lives. A senior citizen who lost four family members has not gone back home. "The emptiness of the house is too overwhelming for him, so he has been staying with a close relative for the time being. The same is true for several families as they have just held the last rites of their dear ones and are now finding it difficult to envision life without them," she said. Parekh explained the seven stages of grief - shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, the upward turn, reconstruction, and acceptance. Disha Vasavada, another psychiatrist and counsellor said, "It is tougher to cope with the loss of a child than a parent. In many instances, it may take days or weeks to process the trauma." The counsellors will stay in touch with families. "Some relatives gained composure initially but could not hold themselves back when the coffins were handed over. The first few days were spent making arrangements, but when reality sets in, hand-holding is necessary," she said. The psychiatrists drew parallels with early Covid deaths, where relatives were not allowed to see the deceased one last time, causing dissonance for those seeking closure.

Business Standard

7 hours ago

• Business Standard

Days on, Ahmedabad plane crash weighs heavy on minds of pilots, crew

New DGCA norms call for MORE rest for pilots, revision of night duty RULEs, and directions to airlines to submit fatigue reports Ajinkya Kawale Aashish Aryan Mumbai/New Delhi Listen to This Article While investigations are on to ascertain what caused the London-bound Air India flight AI171 to crash soon after takeoff on June 12, the aviation disaster continues to weigh on the minds of pilots, cabin crew, and their families. Several of whom Business Standard spoke to said they and their family members felt an undeniable sense of anxiety. The crash had left 241 of the 242 people on board dead, including both the pilots and all cabin crew. It also killed 34 people on the ground. 'This (crash) is one of those times where there is no concrete explanation yet for

Business Standard

16 hours ago

• Business Standard

Air India crash: Wreckage being shifted to airport premises in Ahmedabad

The Gujarat police on Sunday started shifting the wreckage of the ill-fated Air India plane, that crashed on June 12 on a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, to the airport premises here, officials said. The London-bound aircraft had crashed into the hostel complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 270 persons, including 241 on board. One passenger survived. The wreckage was being moved from the crash site to GUJSAIL (Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited) building, which is in the airport premises, and will be in custody of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an official said. "We have started moving the wreckage of the Air India plane, that crashed here, from today to the GUJSAIL building," Joint Commissioner of Police, Sector 2, Jaipalsinh Rathore told PTI. "It will take 48 to 72 hours to shift the entire wreckage," he said. "The wreckage will be under the custody of the AAIB, which is investigating the plane crash," the official said. Apart from AAIB, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading a parallel international investigation into the plane crash. At least 247 persons killed in the crash have so far been identified through DNA matching and 232 bodies handed over to their families, as per officials. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)