Spanish authorities announced on Monday the discovery of two migrants' bodies on a rubber boat heading to the Canary Islands, in addition to five others who died during the journey. The Spanish Coast Guard told AFP that one of its ships intercepted the boat, which was carrying 132 people, including the two bodies.
A spokesperson for the agency stated that some passengers reported that five migrants died during the trip and their bodies were thrown into the sea. He added that the boat, carrying 120 men and 12 women, was taken to the port of Arrecife on Lanzarote Island. In this context, Fernando Clavijo, the regional official for the Canary Islands, said on X that the worst-case scenario had materialized, and the Atlantic route was claiming lives again off the coast of Lanzarote.
Clavijo emphasized the need for the central government to provide more resources to handle the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, a second boat carrying 59 people was rescued today, while 107 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, including three minors, were transferred to El Hierro island yesterday. The Spanish Coast Guard had previously announced on September 3 that 80 illegal migrants died after a boat sailing from the coast of The Gambia sank.
According to figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, 8,970 migrants arrived at the islands by sea between January 1 and October 15. The report indicated a 33.5 percent decrease in the number of arrivals compared to the same period in 2025.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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