Dozens missing, 5 dead after migrant boat is found drifting near Spain’s Canary Islands

A boat carrying West African migrants was found drifting 120 km south of Gran Canaria, resulting in at least five deaths and dozens more feared lost. Spain's Maritime Rescue Service spotted the vessel on Wednesday, and 44 survivors, all men from Mali or Senegal, were brought to safety. Survivors reported leaving Gambia and being at sea for weeks without provisions, leading to dehydration and illness. Migrant rights group Walking Borders reported 83 deaths on the voyage, including women and a baby. This incident highlights the dangers of the West African Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, one of Europe's deadliest migration paths.

Spanish Maritime Rescue located a distressed vessel 65 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria, finding 44 survivors and five bodies. The boat, believed to have departed The Gambia in early August with 127 occupants, had been adrift for 27 days. Human rights activist Helena Maleno Garzón stated that 83 people had lost their lives. Rescuers were unable to recover the five bodies due to adverse weather conditions, including 20-knot winds and 2.5-meter waves. The 44 survivors are men from sub-Saharan Africa, with three airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.