Survivors of the patera that was rescued yesterday morning with 42 people and one dead body on board have told the horrific story of how at least seven more people died on the voyage.
The Zodiac inflatable had been at sea for three days and had begun to ship water, and the weather in the Canaries had also become colder over recent days. Survivors claim that at least seven more people died and their bodies were thrown into the sea to lighten the boat. One woman survivor claimed that she slept on the final night and when she awoke, her son was no longer there.
Their claims tally with information provided by Caminando Fronteras, a charity which tracks boats leaving the Moroccan coast and informs emergency services.
The rescue was apparently difficult given the weakness and exhausted state of the migrants. Nine were taken to hospital for exposure, and two of these are in a critical state.
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