A distressing situation unfolds as a migrant boat carrying around 200 people from Senegal goes missing off the Canary Islands more than a week ago, reports BBC on July 10. The aid group Walking Borders reports that the fishing boat departed from Kafountine, a coastal town in southern Senegal, with many children among those on board. The boat set off on June 27, aiming to reach the Canary Islands, while two other boats carrying additional individuals are also reported missing.
Efforts to locate the missing boat are underway, with Spain's maritime rescue service deploying a plane to assist in the search. The lack of information regarding the other two boats makes the situation even more concerning. According to Helena Maleno of Walking Borders, one of the boats is estimated to carry approximately 65 people, while the other has around 60 people, potentially bringing the total number of missing individuals across the three boats to over 300.
This incident occurs shortly after a tragic Mediterranean migrant shipwreck, where an overcrowded trawler sank off the coast of Greece. Although at least 78 deaths were confirmed, the United Nations reported that up to 500 people could still be missing.
The journey from West Africa to the Canary Islands is known to be one of the most perilous routes for migrants, particularly due to the use of basic dugout fishing boats vulnerable to the powerful Atlantic currents. The UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reveals that in 2020, at least 559 people lost their lives at sea while attempting to reach the Spanish islands, and the death toll rose to 1,126 in 2021. However, due to limited information on departures from West Africa and underreported shipwrecks, the actual figures could be higher.
The migrants attempting this dangerous route often originate from countries such as Morocco, Mali, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and other sub-Saharan nations. Despite a decrease in the number of unauthorised arrivals in the Canary Islands in 2022 compared to the previous year, with 15,682 individuals recorded by Spain's Interior Ministry, the IOM highlights that the flow of migrants along this treacherous path remains high when compared to previous years.
As the search and rescue operation continues for the missing migrant boat and the two additional vessels, the urgency to address the underlying issues of migration and improve safety measures for those undertaking such perilous journeys remains paramount.
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