A boat carrying at least 200 African migrants has been missing for more than a week off the Canary Islands. Local rescuers are searching for them.
The fishing boat sailed from Kafoutine, a coastal town in southern Senegal on 27 June and many of its passengers are children, says the aid group Walking Borders.
Spain’s maritime rescue service says a plan has joined the search.
Reuters news agency quoted Helena Maleno of Walking Borders as saying that there are two more boats, one with about 65 people on board, and the other with up to 60. The total number of people missing across the three boats could be more than 300.
Why is the voyage from West Africa to the Canary Islands among the most dangerous routes for migrants? They usually sail in dugout fishing boats, which get easily overpowered in the Atlantic currents.
The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says that last year at least 559 people died at sea attempting to reach the Spanish islands.
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