Tragic Migrant Disaster off Spanish Coast: Deadliest in 30 Years Looms

On Sunday, search efforts resumed for 48 missing migrants after their boat sank near El Hierro, Spain. Nine fatalities, including a child, were confirmed. Rescuers face wind and visibility challenges. A potential humanitarian crisis looms, with migrant crossings surging this year. The deadliest incident in 30 years is feared.

On Sunday, patrol boats and helicopters resumed the search for around 48 migrants who went missing after their boat sank near the Spanish island of El Hierro. This incident may become the deadliest in 30 years of migrant crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands.

Tragically, nine people, including a child, have been confirmed dead after their boat sank early Saturday morning, as reported by emergency and rescue services.

Rescuers managed to save 27 out of 84 migrants attempting to reach the Spanish coast. Searches continued with three patrol boats and three helicopters involved, according to a Spanish coastguard spokesman. Authorities disclosed that the migrants hailed from Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal.

The operation faced significant challenges due to wind and poor visibility. The emergency services received a distress call shortly after midnight on Saturday, stating the boat was approximately four miles east of El Hierro. Despite rescue efforts, the boat sank during the operation. Candelaria Delgado of the Canary Islands government warned that this could lead to the largest humanitarian crisis the islands have faced in three decades.

A temporary morgue was set up on El Hierro as hopes of finding more survivors dwindled. The nine deceased migrants, including a child aged between 12 and 15, will be buried on Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, three other boats arrived at the Canary Islands, bearing 208 migrants.

The late summer's calm seas and gentle winds have driven a surge in migrant crossings, with a significant 154% increase reported this year. According to the European Union's border agency Frontex, 21,620 migrants have crossed in the first seven months. The previous deadliest shipwreck occurred in 2009 off Lanzarote, claiming 25 lives.

(With inputs from agencies.)