Search for missing migrants after tragic boat sinking near Canary Islands

Rescue operations intensified on Sunday as patrol boats and helicopters searched the waters near the Spanish island of El Hierro for about 48 migrants who went missing after their boat capsized. This tragedy, which occurred during a rescue attempt early Saturday, could become the deadliest incident in three decades on crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands, authorities said.

Nine bodies, including that of a child, were recovered, while 27 of 84 migrants on board were rescued, officials said. The missing migrants came mainly from Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. Emergency services reported that wind and poor visibility hampered the rescue mission.

The European Union border agency, Frontex, recorded a 154% increase in migrant crossings from West Africa to the Canary Islands from January to July this year, to a total of 21,620 migrants. There were also significant increases on similar routes in the Mediterranean and the English Channel. Conditions and forecasts on board point to more arrivals, suggesting what could be the Canary Islands’ biggest humanitarian crisis in 30 years.

(With contributions from agencies.)