Spain's Maritime Rescue Service confirmed five deaths after locating a boat adrift last Wednesday afternoon, around 120 kilometers south of Gran Canaria. The vessel had set out from The Gambia and had been at sea for 27 days when it was spotted by a rescue plane.
Forty four men were rescued alive from the boat, three of whom were evacuated by helicopter in critical condition. Adverse weather conditions hampered efforts to recover additional bodies in the area, a Maritime Rescue Service spokesperson said.
Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras puts the death toll considerably higher. Its director, Helena Maleno, said on social media that 83 migrants and refugees had died on the crossing, including three women and a baby girl. The organization compiles its figures from testimonies given by migrants' families along with official data on those rescued. Survivors said the boat had set off carrying more than 100 people.
A Maritime Rescue Service spokesperson told AFP that the additional alleged victims cited by the NGO "have not been found or rescued," meaning the higher figure cannot currently be confirmed.
The tragedy comes in a year when arrivals to the Canary Islands have fallen sharply: through August 31, this year's total stood at 5,163 people, down 57 percent from the same period the previous year, and far below the historic peak of more than 46,000 arrivals recorded in 2024. Despite the drop in arrivals, the Canary Islands route remains one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.