MADRID – Eight migrants were found dead in a boat, off the coast of the island of Gran Canaria, the Canary Island regional government confirmed yesterday.

The boat, carrying 62 people of Maghrebi (Morocco) origin, was discovered by Maritime Rescue services, 65 kilometres off the south coast of the island on Saturday night.

Seven of the passengers, all male, had died by the time the boat was discovered, while an eighth died while being transferred to the port of Arguineguin. A further 12 occupants of the boat were taken to hospital, one of whom had suffered a cardiac arrest and others were suffering from hypothermia.

A second boat, carrying 36 immigrants (34 men, a woman and a minor) was also rescued on Saturday, in the same vicinity.

Over 13,100 migrants made the dangerous journey from the coast of north-west Africa, to the Canary Island archipelago, in the first nine months of 2021, according to data published by the Spanish Interior Ministry.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK