Spain Rescues 86 Near Canary Islands

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Facts

  • On Monday, Spanish authorities rescued 86 people on board a 20-meter-long (65-foot-long) canoe, known in Senegal as a 'pirogue,' near the Canary Islands. Days earlier, three vessels carrying a total of 300 people had gone missing.1
  • The Spanish rescue service dispatched a plane and ship to search for a Senegalese fishing vessel with nearly 200 people on board that had been missing for almost two weeks. The rescue service thought it had located the missing craft, but after it was towed to Gran Canaria authorities said it probably was another boat they had saved.2
  • The Spanish rescue service said it had intercepted the boat carrying people from sub-Saharan Africa, about 130 km (70 nautical miles) southwest of the Canary Islands, which lie off the northwest coast of Africa.3
  • The migrants had departed Kafountine in south Senegal. Helena Maleno, from the NGO Walking Borders, contacted authorities in Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, and Spain, urging authorities to search for the missing boats in the Atlantic.4
  • The Atlantic passage to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest in the world due to its strong currents and migrants traveling in overloaded boats, often without enough drinking water. At least 778 migrants reportedly died trying to reach Spain by sea in the first half of this year.5
  • The Spanish Interior Ministry reported that over 12K migrants have come to Spain by boat, down 4% from this point last year. However, there are more casualties in the first six months of 2023 compared to the same period last year.6

Sources: 1OA, 2Al Jazeera, 3BBC News, 4Reuters,5France 24, and 6Dw.Com.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Human Rights Watch. Spain hasn't done enough to protect migrants making dangerous trips to the country in search of a better life. Many people fleeing countries in conflict die during their journey to Europe, while Madrid does little to ensure safety during their trip. In fact, Spain has also implemented policies that will turn away asylum seekers and migrants, causing the most vulnerable to take even more perilous routes.
  • Right narrative, as provided by European Conservative. Spain has already taken far too many migrants, and it should not take any more. The European nation is being inundated with illegal immigrants who are being illegally trafficked and exploited. There is nothing humane about an unrestricted migration system that enriches human traffickers, puts migrants in danger, and degrades the overall quality of life in Spain and other European nations.