7 women and girls die in the Boatenflück in the Canary Islands

7 women and girls die in the Boatenflück in the Canary Islands

Spanish emergency services report that four women and three girls died when a small boat with migrants capsized on Wednesday in a port on one of the Canary Islands. The boat was discovered about 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) off the coast by the maritime emergency services in Spain. It overturned when the rescuers began to evacuate minors when it came to a dock on the island of El Hierro.

cause of the accident

The movement of the people on the boat led to it overturning and finally turned over, which caused the occupants to fall into the water, according to the emergency services. The emergency services of the Canary Islands confirmed that four women, a teenage girl and two younger girls were among the victims. One of the girls was found by a rescue diver.

rescue measures

A helicopter evacuated two other children, a girl and a boy, in a local hospital because they were shortly before drowning and were serious. According to reports from the local media, the small boat with over 100 people seemed to be overloaded. Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross pulled the people out of the water.

background of the migration crisis

The Spanish archipelago, which is located off the western coast of Africa, has been a main route for migrants for years who drive riskily into inflatable boats and inadequate little boats. Thousands have been attempted to achieve European territory. In the past year, almost 47,000 people reached the archipelago, which exceeded the previous records for the second time. Most of them come from Mali, Senegal and Morocco and often climb boats to get to Spain from the coast of Mauritania.

The situation of unaccompanied minor

The incoming are also unaccompanied minors. By mid -May, around 10,800 people had crossed the Atlantic to the Canary Islands, which represents a decline of 34 % compared to the same period in 2024.