ARGUINEGUÍN, Spain – At least 80 African migrants are feared dead after a wooden boat carrying 128 people ran into difficulty off Gran Canaria, exposing once again the deadly human cost of the Atlantic migration route between West Africa and Europe.
The vessel reportedly left The Gambia on August 7 and remained at sea for 27 days before a Spanish rescue aircraft located it about 120 kilometres southwest of Arguineguín, a port on the southern coast of Gran Canaria.
Only 44 people survived the journey. Three were in critical condition and had to be airlifted to the Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín. The remaining 41 survivors were transported to Arguineguín, where emergency workers and the Red Cross provided medical assistance.
Spanish Maritime Rescue said: “At dawn this morning, we confirmed approximately 80 deaths, out of a total of 128 passengers. The survivors were taken to the Arguineguín pier and are being cared for by local authorities.”
However, the full death toll has not yet been independently verified. Rescue officials confirmed that five bodies remained on the vessel when help arrived. Testimony from survivors and information about the number of people who originally boarded the boat suggest that more than 80 others died or disappeared during the crossing.
The distinction is important. Eighty bodies were not recovered from the boat. Instead, the estimated toll is based largely on survivor accounts and the difference between the reported 128 passengers and the 44 people rescued alive.
The migrant support organisation Walking Borders said survivors reported that 83 passengers died during the journey. Those believed to be among the dead included three women and a baby.
Some bodies were reportedly placed in the sea during the voyage because the survivors had no safe way to keep them aboard. By the time rescuers arrived, severe weather made recovering the five bodies that remained on the vessel too dangerous.
The rescue operation took place in difficult conditions, with winds of about 20 knots and waves reaching 2.5 metres. A Spanish aircraft first spotted the boat on Wednesday evening, and the rescue vessel Guardamar Urania reached it close to midnight.
Medical workers said several survivors were dehydrated, confused and suffering from the effects of drinking seawater. Six were reportedly admitted to hospital. Some of the survivors are believed to be minors.
Initial reports identified the survivors as West African men, including nationals of Mali and Senegal. Although the boat departed from The Gambia, this does not mean that all its passengers were Gambian. The country has become an important departure point for people from several West African nations attempting to reach Europe.
The tragedy provides another painful reminder that Africans who die on migration routes are often reduced to numbers. Behind the figure of 80 are sons, brothers, fathers, mothers and children whose families may have spent weeks waiting for a telephone call that will never come.
For communities in Ghana and elsewhere in West Africa, the forces pushing young people towards these journeys are familiar. Unemployment, poverty, political instability, conflict and the lack of legal migration opportunities have persuaded thousands that risking the Atlantic is better than remaining at home without hope.
Many board traditional wooden fishing vessels known as cayucos. These boats are frequently overcrowded and carry insufficient food, water and fuel. Some have inadequate navigation equipment, while passengers may place their lives in the hands of smugglers with little concern for their safety.
The route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is considered one of the most dangerous migration corridors in the world. Vessels must cross a vast stretch of open ocean affected by powerful currents, strong winds and rapidly changing weather.
When boats drift away from their intended course, they can remain missing for weeks. Some disappear completely, leaving no survivors, bodies or official record. This means the number of people who die on the Atlantic route is almost certainly higher than the figures documented by governments and humanitarian organisations.
The latest disaster comes despite a sharp fall in the number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands this year. Official figures indicate that arrivals from West Africa have declined by more than 57 per cent compared with the same period last year.
But fewer arrivals do not necessarily mean fewer attempted crossings or fewer deaths. They can also mean that boats are being intercepted, pushed onto more dangerous routes or disappearing before rescue authorities know they are in trouble.
Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo condemned the continued loss of life.
“It is intolerable that lives continue to be lost,” he said. “The Canaries cannot get used to or accept as normal the fact that the Atlantic continues to be a death trap.”
The disaster raises difficult questions for both African and European governments. European states have invested heavily in border enforcement and agreements intended to stop boats from leaving African shores, but safe and legal alternatives remain extremely limited.
African governments must also confront the economic and political failures that make dangerous migration attractive to their citizens. Breaking smuggling networks is necessary, but arrests and coastal patrols alone cannot solve a crisis rooted in unemployment, insecurity, poor governance and fading confidence in the future.
The identities of the dead must now be established so that their families can be informed. Survivors will also require medical care, psychological support and protection while Spanish authorities determine what happens to them next.
This was not simply a boat that “got into difficulty.” It was a vessel carrying 128 human beings that remained at sea for nearly a month without adequate protection, supplies or a reliable rescue system.
Only 44 reached Gran Canaria alive. More than 80 others were lost before Europe even knew their names.
