Image@ Reuters
More than 80 migrants, including an infant, are feared dead after a boat carrying people from West Africa spent 27 days adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.
Spanish Maritime Rescue authorities found the vessel about 65 nautical miles southwest of Arguineguín, a coastal town on Gran Canaria, on Wednesday.
Forty-four survivors were rescued from the boat, while five deceased persons were also discovered aboard.
The vessel is believed to have set off from The Gambia in early August with approximately 127 passengers.
Helena Maleno Garzón, founder of Spanish migrant-support organisation Caminando Fronteras, estimated that 83 people had perished during the voyage.
However, Maritime Rescue said it could not independently establish the number of passengers who initially boarded the vessel.
Rescuers were unable to retrieve the five bodies because of dangerous conditions at sea.
Officials said winds were reaching 20 knots, while waves stood at around 2.5 metres.
All 44 people rescued were men from sub-Saharan Africa.
Three were taken by helicopter to hospital in critical condition, while the remaining survivors were transported by boat to Gran Canaria, arriving in the early hours of Thursday.
Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo expressed concern over the tragedy, saying it was unacceptable for deaths along the Atlantic migration route to become normal.
The sea passage linking West Africa with Spain’s Canary Islands is regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.
Thousands of people undertake the hazardous crossing every year in the hope of reaching Spanish territory, despite the threat of severe weather, powerful ocean currents and the vast distance involved.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong