New tragedy on the Canary route amid the migration crisis in Ceuta. More than 80 people, including a baby, have died or disappeared in a cayuco that left Gambia 27 days ago heading to the Canary Islands with 128 occupants and was rescued in the early hours of this Thursday adrift south of the archipelago with 45 survivors on board and five bodies, according to Efe and confirmed by Maritime Rescue and the NGO Caminando Fronteras.
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According to the account from Maritime Rescue, the Sasemar 101 plane located the boat at 18:40 (Canary time) on Wednesday, 65 nautical miles (about 120 kilometers) southwest of Arguineguín. The Las Palmas Coordination Center mobilized the Guardamar Urania, which at 23:05 rescued the 44 people still alive on board, “all males of sub-Saharan origin.”
The sea conditions prevented the recovery of the five bodies that were in the cayuco. According to the agency’s information, there was a 20-knot wind in the area and waves reached 2.5 meters.
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Three of the rescued were in delicate condition. The Helimer 211 helicopter evacuated them from the Urania to the Gran Canaria University Hospital Doctor Negrín. The rest, 41 people, disembarked at the port of Arguineguín at 04:40 this Thursday. The Canary Islands emergency service 112 specifies that six of them have been hospitalized with dehydration and disorientation, as well as symptoms of having drunk seawater.
This morning, a spokesperson for Caminando Fronteras explained that the Civil Guard confirmed to them that the boat had inscriptions on its hull that match those of a vessel that left Gambia on August 7 with 128 occupants, including four women and a baby.
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[Information developing. There will be an update soon]
