Canary Region
Boat accident in the Atlantic: baby drowned, several missing
A refugee boat has sunk off the coast of Morocco. At least one baby died as a result.
© Sea-Watch/ AP / DPA
A migrant boat has sunk off the coast of Morocco. A baby died as a result. Several people are missing.
At least one baby has died when a migrant boat sank in the Atlantic off the coast of Morocco. The body of the small child was recovered on Wednesday around 150 kilometers south of the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, the media reported, citing the Spanish sea rescue service.
Several people are still missing
The authority confirmed this information on request. The Moroccan Coast Guard was able to rescue 24 occupants of the dinghy that got into distress on Tuesday night alive on Wednesday night, it said. According to the Spanish aid organization “Caminando Fronteras”, which is well connected in Morocco, there were around 60 people on board the boat.
The Moroccan authorities would have asked the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service for help in locating missing persons. Among other things, a helicopter was used. The search for the missing person ended after the corpse of the baby had been recovered because no other people could be found in the water, it said.