Migrant Boat Tragedy Near Canary Islands: Two Dead, Four Critically Injured

A migrant vessel carrying 40 people from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands resulted in two fatalities and four severe injuries, highlighting a surge in migration attempts.

• Two individuals lost their lives and four were critically injured as a migrant boat with 40 people onboard attempted to reach the Canary Islands.
• The Spanish maritime rescue service evacuated the injured to hospitals by helicopter, while the 34 survivors included 27 men and seven women of sub-Saharan African origin.
• Spanish Interior Ministry data reveals a more than six-fold increase in migrants attempting to cross to the Canary Islands this year, compared to the same period in 2023.
• Nearly 12,000 migrants reached the Canary Islands in the first two months of the year, fleeing poverty, conflict, and instability in West Africa.
• Authorities report that most migrants depart from Mauritania in artisanal fishing boats, facing strong winds and Atlantic currents, with many losing their lives or disappearing along the way.

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