African migrant perishes and others may be missing at sea as craft capsizes
Thursday, November 19, 2015 @ 9:23 AM
A SUB-SAHARAN African has drowned and up to 24 could be missing after a jerry-built and overcrowded toy-boat capsized en route to the Canary Islands last night (Wednesday). Coastguard workers from Spain rescued 22 survivors and one body, but those on board say there were 46 of them in total. If this proves to be the case and the others have lost their lives, it will become the worst migrant tragedy in the Canary Islands since March 2006.
A Spanish ship, the Guardamar Talía, and a Moroccan coastguard patrol boat were spotted by the Africans at around 37 kilometres off the coast of Western Sahara at exactly 20.49hrs. They all stood up at once and waved and shouted so the Guardamar Talía and Moroccan authorities could rescue them. As they did so, their craft overturned and everyone on board fell in the sea.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com