Reportedly more than 30 migrants drowned between Morocco and Fuerteventura. Two dozen saved.
Las Palmas/Madrid/Rabat. A good week after a ship from Libya carrying illegal immigrants sank off Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, where more than 500 people are believed to have drowned in the deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea, there were reports on Wednesday of another serious incident. between Morocco and the Canary Islands belonging to Spain in the Atlantic: Thus, a rubber boat probably sank on Wednesday on the way from southern Morocco to the nearest Canary island Fuerteventura (distance approx. 100 kilometers). According to NGOs, at least three dozen people would have died.
confusing location
However, the exact location and extent of the accident was unclear on Thursday. At the time of the sinking, the boat was south of Morocco, in the waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Migrant aid organizations Walking Borders and Alarm Phone, who are in contact by phone with people on these boats and are giving the position to authorities, said the boat had about 60 people on board. The Spanish maritime rescue service only confirmed the death of two occupants, including a child. According to the authority, 24 people were rescued by a Moroccan guard boat.
The Press/PW
A Walking Borders spokeswoman, Helena Maleno, tweeted that 39 people had drowned without providing any evidence. Alarm Phone, which runs a trans-European rescue support network, said 35 people were missing. These two and other groups accused Spain and Morocco of not intervening sooner, despite knowing about the boat. Above all, Spain had neglected its duty of care, as the boat was already in the country’s search and rescue area in accordance with maritime law.
Spanish news agency EFE reported that a rescue vessel, the Guardamar Caliope, was just 46 kilometers – just over an hour’s drive – from the boat on Tuesday night. However, the captain refrained from further initiative because the Moroccan coast guard was responsible for managing the rescue operation. They sent a single ship that did not reach the region until many hours later, on Wednesday morning.
Spaniards supposedly idle
On the other hand, Alarm Phone and similar NGOs are accused of facilitating illegal migration and indirectly serving smugglers. This year, at least 5,900 people must have dared to cross from Morocco or Western Sahara to the Canary Islands – around a third less than in the same period last year. There are often strong waves in the sea area, and winds and currents can cause small boats, even those with engines, to drift away. (ag./sg)