Hundreds of migrants rescued off Canary Islands

At slightest 227 migrants were rescued disconnected Spain's Canary Islands connected Thursday, officials say, a time aft reported deaths of much than 30 migrants there.

Emergency services accidental the Coast Guard the migrants were travelling connected inflatable boats adjacent the Lanzarote and Gran Canaria islands successful the Atlantic.

A fig of them were taken to infirmary to beryllium treated for a "mild condition".

On Wednesday, 2 charities said much than 30 migrants whitethorn person drowned aft their dinghy sank disconnected Gran Canaria.

Spanish authorities said rescue workers recovered the bodies of a insignificant and a man, and rescued 24 different people.

However, the charities - Walking Borders and Alarm Phone - said astir 60 radical had been connected board.

Helena Maleno Garzon, from Walking Borders, said 39 radical had drowned, including 4 women and a baby, portion Alarm Phone said 35 radical were missing.

Both organisations show migrant boats and person calls from radical connected committee oregon their relatives.

A Spanish rescue work ship, the Guardamar Caliope, was lone astir an hour's sail from the dinghy connected Tuesday evening, according to Spanish quality bureau Efe.

But the vessel did not assistance the dinghy due to the fact that the cognition had been taken implicit by Moroccan officials, which dispatched a patrol vessel that arrived connected Wednesday morning, 10 hours aft it had been spotted by a Spanish rescue plane, according to Reuters.

The BBC has sent a petition for remark to Morocco's interior ministry.

Angel Victor Torres, person of the Canary Islands region, described the incidental arsenic a "tragedy" and called connected the European Union to found a migration argumentation that "offers coordinated and supportive responses" to the contented of migration.

Although disconnected Africa's occidental coast, the Canary Islands are portion of Spain, and galore migrants question from Africa to the archipelago successful the anticipation of reaching mainland Europe.

The Western Africa-Atlantic migration way is considered 1 of the world's deadliest, and astatine slightest 543 migrants died oregon went missing connected that travel successful 2022, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

IOM says determination were 45 shipwrecks connected the way during that period, but acknowledges that the fig is "probably underestimated" due to the fact that information is scarce and incomplete.

Most of those making the travel are from Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and different parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, it says.

Last week, a migrant vessel carrying hundreds of radical sank disconnected the Greek coast, with astatine slightest 78 known to person died, though galore more are feared to person drowned.