Search for Missing Migrants after Tragic Boat Sinking Near Canary Islands

Rescue efforts continued on Sunday for around 48 missing migrants after their boat sank near El Hierro, Spanish Canary Islands. Nine people, including a child, died. The number of migrants from West Africa to the Canary Islands surged by 154% this year. The incident marks a significant humanitarian crisis.

Rescue operations intensified on Sunday as patrol boats and helicopters scoured the waters near the Spanish island of El Hierro for approximately 48 migrants who went missing after their boat capsized. This tragedy, which occurred during an attempted rescue early Saturday, could become the deadliest incident in three decades of crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands, according to authorities.

Nine bodies, including that of a child, have been recovered, while 27 out of 84 migrants on board were rescued, officials shared. The missing migrants were primarily from Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. Emergency services reported wind and poor visibility hampered the rescue mission.

The European Union's border agency Frontex recorded a 154% increase in migrant crossings from West Africa to the Canary Islands from January to July this year, totaling 21,620 migrants. Similar routes in the Mediterranean and the English Channel have also seen significant increases. Onboard conditions and forecasts indicate more arrivals, signaling what could be the Canary Islands' largest humanitarian crisis in 30 years.

(With inputs from agencies.)