57 feared dead as boat travelling to the Canaries capsizes

Nine people have drowned and forty-eight are missing, presumed dead, after the boat they were travelling to the Canaries on capsized yesterday.

84 people were on board the wooden cayuco (fishing boat), which was heading for the western island of El Hierro when a distress call was issued. 27 survivors were rescued by Spanish Maritime Rescue Services.

The calm September conditions have caused a recent increase in arrivals from the African coastline, but the Canarian route remains extremely dangerous, with small, overcrowded boats often going missing or capsizing in unpredictable ocean conditions.

The tragedy “again underlines the dangerousness of the Atlantic route,” said Canarian President Fernando Clavijo. “We need Spain and the EU to act decisively in the face of a structural humanitarian tragedy.”