Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
11-07-2023
MADRID: Walking Borders, a migrant aid group, reported that approximately 300 individuals in route from Senegal to Spain’s Canary Islands on three migrant boats went missing on Sunday.
Helena Maleno of Walking Borders told Reuters that two boats with one carrying at least 65 people and another between 50 to 60 people have been missing for 15 days after departing from Senegal in an attempt to reach Spain.
Meanwhile, a third boat with around 200 people aboard left Senegal on June 27.
The families of those on board have not heard from them since they left, Maleno said.
All three boats left Kafountine in the south of Senegal, which is about 1,700 kilometres (1,057 miles) from Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands.
“The families are very worried. There about 300 people from the same area of Senegal. They have left because of the instability in Senegal,” Maleno said.
The Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, 
with a much smaller number also seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland. Summer is the busiest period for all attempted crossings.
The Atlantic migration route, one of the deadliest in the world, is typically used by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. At least 559 people including 22 children died in 2022 in attempts to reach the Canary Islands, according to data from the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
As per report, the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller number also seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland. Summer is the busiest period for all attempted crossings.
The Atlantic migration route, one of the deadliest in the world, is typically used by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
