refugee boats
According to the aid organization, more than 300 migrants are missing in the Atlantic – boat spotted during search operation
A boat of the Spanish sea rescue
© Mercedes Menendez / Imago Images
Three refugee boats with possibly more than 300 people are missing on the Atlantic between Africa and the Canary Islands. A search operation now brings a glimmer of hope.
Three refugee boats with possibly more than 300 people on board will be in the sea area between Missing Africa and the Canary Islands belonging to Spain. Two boats, each with up to 60 people on board, left Senegal for the Canary Islands on June 23, a third with around 200 people on June 27 from the coastal town of Kafountine, said Helena Maleno from the Spanish aid organization, which is well connected in Africa. Caminando Fronteras” (border workers) on Monday. The organization is in contact with relatives of the missing who have no news of the people on the boats.
“We are very concerned because after the unrest in Senegal in June and because of the political persecution, people are even less prepared to flee than usual,” Maleno told the German Press Agency. In June, 19 boats carrying refugees from Senegal arrived in the Canary Islands, while not one had been registered since the beginning of the year. In addition, Spain only uses one search plane, which is only in the air for a few hours a day, criticized Maleno.
Boat discovered in search operation on Atlantic
There is also a lack of cooperation with Morocco. “It only works when repelling refugees, but not when rescuing them,” complained Maleno. “If 300 Germans were missing on the Atlantic, there would be a huge search operation,” she added. In the early afternoon, the DPA news agency reported: In the search for three refugee boats missing in the Atlantic, with a total of possibly more than 300 people from Africa on board, a boat was sighted off the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain. A Spanish search plane reported this on Monday from a position around 140 kilometers south of the archipelago off the west coast of Africa, said the Spanish sea rescue service of the German Press Agency. A sea rescue cruiser and another ship are on their way to the boat. “We do not yet know exactly whether it is one of the missing boats, but the size and number of people on board match the information we have,” said a spokeswoman for the sea rescue service. It would take the rescue ships about three hours to reach the boat.
Most dangerous escape route to Europe
Kafountine is around 1700 kilometers from the Spanish archipelago and the Atlantic, with its strong currents and high waves, is considered one of the most dangerous escape routes to European countries. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, 7,278 migrants from Africa were counted in the Canary Islands this year by July 2nd. According to “Caminando Fronteras”, at least 778 people died on the Atlantic route in the first half of the year. However, the number of unreported cases is likely to be higher.
If fears are confirmed that the boats have gone under, it would be one of the worst accidents involving migrants at sea after a refugee boat sank off the Greek coast in mid-June with up to 500 dead.
Note: The article was updated after a boat was sighted in the Atlantic.