ALBAWABA - According to Spanish news agency EFE, at least 55 migrants died over the weekend while attempting to cross from Africa to Spain's Canary Islands by boat.
The Spanish Coast Guard rescued 1,786 individuals on this harrowing trek, which is considered one of the world's most dangerous migratory routes. According to the survivors, the boat initially held 58 passengers, with the others dying and being tossed overboard.
The bloodiest occurrence occurred on a wooden boat that had left northern Mauritania approximately three weeks previously. On Saturday, the sailboat was discovered floating around south of El Hierro, with just ten people on board.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, the boat sunk off the coast of Lanzarote. The Coast Guard retrieved five dead bodies but rescued 17 people by releasing a raft from an aircraft.
The same effort rescued 80 migrants who were experiencing trouble in a neighboring boat. In another operation, investigators discovered the body of a lady who had fallen from a boat that was starting to collapse. The remaining 54 persons in the boat were rescued.
The Interior Ministry estimates that between January 1 and October 15 of this year, over 45,000 migrants entered Spain illegally. Almost 33,000 of them traveled by sea to the Canary Islands.
The non-governmental group Walking Borders estimates that during the first five months of the year, 5,054 people lost their lives while traveling.
