47 people died in another shipwreck on the Atlantic coast of North Africa

　　China News Agency, Brussels, August 19th. The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency reported on the 18th that a shipwreck occurred on the Atlantic coast of North Africa within 10 days. The 47 migrants on the ship trying to go to the Canary Islands of Spain were unfortunate. Died.

　　The International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency stated in a joint announcement that the ship involved set sail on August 3, carrying 54 people, including 3 children; two days after the voyage, it could only drift at sea due to engine failure. , Until August 16 was discovered by the Mauritania Coast Guard, only 7 people on board survived, and the remaining 47 died.

　　The announcement stated that the survivors disembarked in the northern city of Nouadhibou in Mauritania. Four of them were in critical condition and were admitted to hospital for treatment. The UNHCR is working hard to provide assistance, including whether it is necessary to provide them with international protection.

　　The announcement stated that a shipwreck occurred on the Atlantic coast of North Africa 10 days ago, which caused 40 deaths. At present, as more and more smugglers sail to the Canary Islands, the death toll is expected to continue to rise in the future.

　　Because it is only about 130 kilometers away from the nearest point on the west coast of Africa, the Canary Islands has always been a "severe disaster area" for smuggling. Immigrants often take simple boats from Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia and other countries to the Canary Islands. According to statistics from Spanish authorities, this year From January to July, more than 7,500 people have arrived in the Canary Islands from the west coast of Africa. This number has doubled from the same period last year.

　　Another "conventional" smuggling route in Spain is the Western Mediterranean; statistics released by the European Union Border and Coast Guard last week show that from January to July this year, the agency registered more than 7,500 illegal immigration, a slight increase from the same period last year. Increased, illegal immigrants are mainly from Algeria and Morocco.

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