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Rescue workers at a refugee boat in a port in Tenerife (photo taken on 15 December)
Photo: Europa Press / dpa
The crossing from the Moroccan coast to the Canary Islands is comparatively short – but dangerous. Now, several people have lost their lives trying to translate to the EU.
As the Spanish aid organization Caminando Fronteras (border crossers) announced, a rubber dinghy was in distress off the coast of Morocco, it was only just above the water surface. At least 14 people have died. In total, more than 58 people were on board, the survivors would cling to the boat.
As Spanish media reported, citing the Spanish sea rescue, a rescue operation is now underway from Morocco. Caminando Fronteras criticised the fact that the rescue operation had been launched too late and that Morocco and Spain often remained inactive because they blamed each other, she told Spanish state radio station RNE. The representation cannot be independently verified.
The Canary Islands have been experiencing a sharp increase in the arrivals of boats carrying irregular migrants since the beginning of October. According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, an increase of about 2023 percent was registered in 80 compared to the same period last year. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, more than 24,38 migrants from Africa have been counted this year as of December 000.
The newspaper »El Día« reported that on Thursday alone, 37 migrants were rescued and brought to the island of Gran Canaria. In addition, another boat with 130 migrants was discovered off the island of El Hierro.
According to information from Caminando Fronteras, at least 778 migrants died in the first six months of the year while trying to reach the Canary Islands on the dangerous route from West Africa across the Atlantic.
fek/dpa