Overview

• At least seven migrants—including four women and three girls as young as five—died when the overcrowded vessel capsized in La Restinga harbour on May 28.
• Rescue crews, local fishermen and Red Cross teams recovered all bodies and rescued dozens more, ruling out additional victims under the hull after concluding operations.
• The wooden boat departed from Guinea carrying around 180 people from Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, illustrating the continued hazards of the Atlantic crossing that claimed 739 lives last year, according to IOM figures.
• Official data show Canary Islands arrivals have fallen by roughly one-third to about 11,000 so far this year, yet the route remains Europe’s deadliest maritime migration corridor.
• Spanish authorities declared two days of mourning on El Hierro, lowered flags to half-mast and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed deep concern over the loss of life.