The waters near the Canary Islands continue to be a mass grave for hundreds of people who risked their lives to escape their own countries for a better life in the Archipelago or mainland Europe. The so-called Canary Route is one of the most popular yet dangerous chosen by these migrants, who will do anything to flee the African continent.
There have been fewer boats intercepted so far this year, and with it less people killed, but as the seas have calmed a dramatic rebound began on June 20th, when a pregnant woman died in the zodiac (inflatable boat) which she was travelling in, just a few meters from the coast of Lanzarote.
A day later, at least 37 people died in a shipwreck where a possible lack of coordination between the rescue services of Spain and Morocco could have been key to rescuing them.
This unfortunate account of the events happened again this weekend when 51 more people disappeared after another zodiac was adrift for eight days before being shipwrecked with only four survivors.
One more deceased was added to this total yesterday (Sunday) when another boat was intercepted in the South of Tenerife with 65 people on board, one of whom was deceased, and four admitted to hospital for urgent treatment.
This boat was retrieved close to La Mareta beach by Los Abrigos when Maritime Rescue intercepted it and towed it to the port of Los Cristianos.
The president of Caminando Sin Fronteras, Helena Maleno, explained to the EFE news agency that as of yesterday another five boats that left in June from the coast of Morocco, between Tan Tan and Agadir, heading to the Canary Islands remain missing with 266 people on board.
