Overview

• At least seven passengers—four women and three children—drowned when panic and overcrowding overturned a cayuco carrying 152 migrants during transfer to a Salvamento Marítimo vessel
• El Hierro’s Cabildo declared two days of official mourning and a judicial inquiry has been opened to examine the conduct of the rescue operation
• President Alpidio Armas has urged the Delegation of the Government to overhaul salvage protocols after a shortage of safety equipment was blamed for the fatalities
• Survivors are receiving medical treatment and psychological support from Cruz Roja teams while healthcare workers have accessed counseling after witnessing the trauma
• National leaders including Ángel Víctor Torres and Sira Rego have called for urgent reforms to Spain’s migration policies and the creation of safe legal routes for migrants