More than 30 migrants are feared dead after a dinghy headed for Spain’s Canary Islands sank off the coast of Western Sahara on Wednesday.
Two groups, Walking Borders and Alarm Phone, said the dinghy was originally carrying around 60 people. Spain’s maritime rescue service confirmed the deaths of two of the dinghy’s occupants, a child and an adult man, and said a Moroccan patrol boat had previously rescued 24 people.
Walking Borders spokesperson Helena Maleno said in a tweet that 39 people had drowned, without giving further details, while Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European network supporting rescue operations, said 35 people were missing.
The tragedy sparked criticism from migrant rights activists who accused Spain of omitting its duty of care, as the dinghy was within the country’s search-and-rescue region under international law, meaning Madrid should have led the operation instead of Rabat.
“It’s torture to have 60 people, including six women and a baby, waiting for more than 12 hours for a rescue in a flimsy inflatable boat that can sink,” Walking Borders’ Maleno said.
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