In a tragic event on the perilous Canary route across the Atlantic, a cruise ship has rescued 68 migrants, plus five dead, on board a boat in waters south of Tenerife. This route, notorious for being one of the deadliest for irregular migration, has again claimed lives as people desperately attempt to seek a better future, only to be met with fatal consequences.
The cruise ship, travelling from Gambia to Tenerife, spotted a drifting cayuco in the early hours of yesterday morning. According to information provided by Maritime Rescue to Europa Press, it contained five dead bodies and 68 survivors. Tragically, a sixth person passed away after being rescued.
Initially, the merchant ship Philipp Oldendorff had spotted the boat adrift with passengers aboard approximately 440 miles south of Tenerife. The ship's medical staff provided the first assistance to those on the small boat.
The Insignia cruise ship was then diverted to the location, where it managed to rescue a total of 68 people (a provisional count), along with three more deceased, leaving the cayuco adrift with two additional dead bodies on it, which could not be retrieved due to severe weather conditions.
Maritime Rescue mobilised the Guardamar Urania rescue boat to locate the drifting cayuco, which has been equipped with a reflector, to make it easier to find, provided by the cruise ship.
The Insignia arrived at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the early hours of this morning and was met by the Red Cross, medical personnel, and the police so that the migrants could disembark and be cared for.
