Spanish media reported the sinking of a rubber boat carrying more than 50 irregular migrants, which had set off from the Moroccan city of Tan-Tan, heading towards the Canary Islands.
At least four people died, and five others are missing after the boat capsized and sank northeast of Lanzarote on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the island’s emergency services, as reported by Spanish media, confirmed that 45 survivors were rescued by the Maritime Rescue Service and taken to the dock.
Around 5:00 AM, the rescue ship Guardamar Urania arrived at the port of Arrecife (Lanzarote), carrying 45 survivors, including a child and five women, along with three bodies.
Later Wednesday afternoon, a helicopter evacuated another survivor and a fourth body to Lanzarote. This was the first rescue vehicle to reach the area, about 137 kilometers from Lanzarote.
The helicopter had identified the wreckage, initially finding just one survivor and a body. However, shortly after, it confirmed that around 20 to 25 people were clinging to the remains of the partially submerged boat.
According to Maritime Rescue, the sinking occurred about 100 kilometers northwest of Tan-Tan on Wednesday afternoon. The rubber boat had departed the Moroccan city the day before. By Wednesday morning, the passengers had begun calling for help via satellite phone, reaching out to both the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras and the emergency number 112 in the Canary Islands.
Sources confirmed that the subsequent calls to 112 became increasingly desperate, with the callers warning that the boat was sinking and many passengers were in the water. In one of the calls, a survivor reported clinging to a piece of debris to stay afloat.
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