13 migrants drowned on their way to Las Palmas, leaving eight missing abroad
Moroccan authorities recovered the bodies of 13 migrants on Friday after their boat sank off the coast of Mirleft in the south of the country. This was reported by the local media.
The Hespress news site reported that another 24 migrants, including a minor, could be rescued. The tally of thirteen deaths can still be increased because eight people are missing.
A total of 45 people were on board the boat, which was on its way to the Canary Islands. They paid between 20,000 and 25,000 dirhams (1,800 to 2,200 euros).
The dinghy hit a rock, according to Hespress, and sank about 10 minutes after leaving. The 2M news website stated that the boat was barely out at sea when it sustained damage, and that “the victims ended up in the surf”.
On the route between the northwest coast of Africa and the Canary Islands, 7,692 migrants have died since 2018, according to the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras. Since the beginning of this year, 27,789 migrants have entered Spain clandestinely, of which 15,742 are in the Canary Islands, according to figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior on December 15.
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