At least six migrants have died while trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from West Africa on unstable boats.
According to Reuters, citing the country’s emergency services and the Red Cross, the incident occurred on Wednesday, December 11.
Emergency responders reported that five of the 65 migrants aboard a boat that reached the small island of El Hierro were found dead, while another migrant was found deceased on one of three other boats rescued by the Spanish coast guard.
The Red Cross noted that around 20,000 illegal migrants have arrived on El Hierro this year, which constitutes about half of the more than 40,000 migrants who reached the Canary Islands during this period.
Recently, the President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, stated that regional authorities are considering filing a lawsuit against the Spanish government for allegedly failing to meet its commitments to address the ongoing migration crisis.
In response, the Spanish government confirmed that it is working on developing a temporary “strategic plan” to alleviate the severe migration crisis affecting both the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
Earlier in December, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior reported that the number of migrants arriving on the Canary Islands from West Africa had reached a record high for the year, between January 1 and November 30.
