Five killed, dozens more feared dead in boat adrift off Canary Islands
Spanish authorities rescued 44 migrants from a drifting boat off the Canary Islands, where five bodies were recovered. An NGO reports that over 80 people may have perished during the journey from The Gambia.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the extreme dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Atlantic route.
Spanish migrant NGO says more than 80 people likely perished on the boat that left The Gambia 27 days ago.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Rescuers help a man disembark from a Spanish coastguard vessel at the port of Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on September 3, 2026 [Borja Suarez/Reuters] By AFP , AP and Reuters Published On 3 Sep 2026 3 Sep 2026 The bodies of five people have been recovered after a boat carrying West Africans was rescued off Spain’s Canary Islands, maritime rescue authorities have said, as an NGO warns that dozens more may have perished.
Spain’s maritime rescue service Salvamento Maritimo said on Thursday that one of its boats rescued 44 men from a boat drifting some 120km (75 miles) south of the island of Gran Canaria on Wednesday evening.
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