Two migration-related organizations have warned of fears that "more than 30 migrants have died after a boat sank while heading to the Spanish Canary Islands," criticizing Spain and Morocco for not intervening earlier to rescue its passengers. The founder of the Spanish organization "Walking Borders," Helena Maleno, wrote on Twitter: "39 people have drowned," without providing further details. She noted that "it is torture for 60 people, including six women and a child, to wait more than 12 hours for rescue in a flimsy rubber boat that could sink."
In another tweet, Maleno stated that "Madrid followed Athens' lead," referring to a boat sinking off the coast of Greece recently that resulted in the deaths of at least 82 people, describing European border policies as "torture and death." The tragedy has sparked criticism from activists concerned with migrant rights, accusing Spain of neglecting its duty because the boat was within its search and rescue zone under international law, meaning it should have led the operation instead of Rabat.
When the boat sank, its location was off the coast of Western Sahara. Although Morocco administers most of that former Spanish colony, its sovereignty over the area remains contested, and the United Nations classifies it as a non-self-governing territory. The official Spanish news agency (EFE) reported that the "Guardamar Caliope" vessel belonging to the Spanish rescue service was only 46 kilometers away, or about an hour's sailing distance, from the boat on Tuesday evening.
Additionally, it was stated: "The ship did not assist the boat because Morocco's coordination center in Rabat took over the operation, sending a patrol boat that only arrived on Wednesday morning, about 10 hours after the boat was spotted by a Spanish rescue plane." The President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, expressed his sorrow on Twitter for the deaths of two individuals, stating, "It is essential and urgent for the European Union to have a migration and asylum agreement that provides coordinated and unified responses to the phenomenon of migration."
The Canary Islands, located off the western coast of Africa, have become the primary destination for migrants attempting to reach Spain, with significantly fewer people attempting the crossing via the Mediterranean to the Spanish mainland. The migration route across the Atlantic is known as the deadliest migration route in the world. According to data from the United Nations International Organization for Migration, at least 559 people, including 22 children, died in 2022 while trying to reach the shores of the Canary Islands.
