Africa-Press – Gambia. More than 80 people, including an infant, have died aboard a boat that left Gambia, which was found south of the Canary Islands after drifting at sea for nearly a month.
According to a local source, 128 people boarded the boat in early August, with only 45 passengers surviving the journey, while five bodies remained on board at the time of the rescue.
A surveillance aircraft spotted the boat on Wednesday evening about 120 kilometers south of Gran Canaria, and a rescue ship intervened during the night from Wednesday to Thursday to assist the survivors.
Due to poor sea conditions, rescuers were unable to retrieve the five bodies on board, which remained there.
The 45 survivors, including 44 men and one woman according to initial information, were taken to a dock in the municipality of Mogan, where local authorities and the Red Cross provided care.
The local source reported that the Spanish Civil Guard confirmed that the markings found on the hull of the boat matched that of a vessel that left Gambia in early August with 128 people on board, including four women and an infant.
Survivors told Red Cross teams during their care that they had departed towards the Canary Islands with more than 100 people, and that several passengers died during the journey.
This new tragedy highlights the extremely dangerous conditions surrounding Atlantic crossings from the coasts of West Africa to the Canary Islands, characterized by prolonged periods at sea and the use of highly fragile boats.
