Rabat – A shipwreck south of Canary Islands cost lives to 28 people on Monday. A tweet from Helena Malena Garzon, an activist of the NGO Caminando Fronteras, announced that the incident occurred during an attempt to cross from the Moroccan coast to the Spanish islands.
Caminando Fronteras reported that nobody has been found. Only 13 people, including a teenager, were rescued from the shipwreck. According to the survivors, the 41 immigrants had left Laayoune on Sunday night using an inflatable boat.
The boat overturned off by night and the survivors managed to cling to the drifting zodiac. The Salvamento maritime plane spotted them and informed the rescue services.
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On Sunday, another boat overturned off Boujdour. The shipwreck cost the lives of 44 people, reported Caminando Fronteras. Only 12 people survived the incident, with Moroccan authorities reporting the retrieval of 16 bodies.
Coast guards of the Royal Navy patrolling in the Mediterranean and Atlantic rescued 221 Sub-Saharan irregular immigrants from May 2 to 8, among them women and children. The rescued people, including 18 remains, were traveling by makeshift boats, kayaks, jet-skis while some were only swimming.
All of the rescued people received first aid on board the Royal Navy units, before being transported to the nearest Moroccan ports. Later, they were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual procedures. The remains were transferred to the morgues of the nearby hospitals.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), at least 10,452 entered Spain irregularly since January 2022. Most of them came from North and West Africa via the Atlantic on the Canary Islands. Additionally, nearly 1,400 came via Ceuta and Melilla.
Morocco and Spain have been working together to curb irregular migration across the Mediterranean, advancing the repatriation as the main deterrent. Europa Press news agency quoted Spain’s secretary of state for security, Rafael Pérez, saying “Repatriation is an important element to discourage people.”
Read Also: Irregular Migration Flows Declined After Spain’s Support For Morocco’s Autonomy Plan
