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| Date | 30 September 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Canary Islands, Spain |
| Type | Maritime disaster |
| Deaths | 9+ |
| Missing | 48 |
A boat carrying 84 migrants bound for the Canary Islands of Spain sank in the Atlantic Ocean on 29 September, 2024. The passengers were from Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. Spanish emergency services received a distress call from the boat when it was located near the island of El Hierro. Although some passengers were rescued, the ship eventually sank.[1][2]
Background
editBy the time of the ship's sinking, over 29,000 migrants had attempted to venture from western Africa to Spain in 2024. Various reasons are present for mgirants wishing to flee, such as political instability, persecution, and lack of employment opportunities.[3] In comparison, more than 212,000 migrants attempted to reach continental Europe from northern Africa via the Mediterranean Sea in 2023. The International Organization for Migration, a UN agency, reported that since 2014, over 4,000 people have died attempting to reach Europe from Africa via the Atlantic Ocean.[4]
Reaction
editFernando Clavijo Batlle, president of the Canary Islands, took to X (formerly Twitter) to point out that the incident "underlines the dangerousness" of the route that the boat was taking.[4]
Candelaria Delgado, a Canary Islands government official, spoke to reporters on Sunday following the attempted rescue. She acknowledged that subsequent incidents involving sinking ships containing migrants may lead to a "humanitarian disaster".[1]
- ^ a b Suarez, Borja; Keeley, Graham (29 September 2024). "Dozens missing after migrant boat sinks off Canary Islands, nine dead". Reuters.
- ^ Giuffrida, Angela (29 September 2024). "Search resumes in what may be deadliest migrant boat sinking off Canaries". The Guardian.
- ^ Nierenberg, Amelia (30 September 2024). "Dozens Feared Dead After Migrant Boat Sinks Off Spain". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "9 die in migrant boat shipwreck off Spanish island; 48 missing". Voice of America. 28 September 2024.