86 migrants rescued off Canary Islands

Video by Brian Chang.

Spanish authorities rescued at least 86 migrants from a boat drifting off the Canary Islands in the Atlantic on Monday, while on a search mission for a different missing boat that is potentially carrying hundreds and has not been heard from in two weeks.

On Monday, the Spanish coast guard dispatched an aircraft and a ship to conduct a search for a missing Senegalese fishing vessel said to be carrying about 200 migrants.

They instead discovered what seemed to be an entirely different migrant boat, 114 kilometers to the south of Gran Canaria island, which the rescue service initially thought could have been the missing boat, Reuters reported.

On Sunday, refugee aid organization Walking Borders reported that the fishing vessel, along with two other boats, one carrying about 65 individuals and another with 50 to 60 passengers, had been missing for approximately two weeks. These vessels had reportedly departed from Senegal with the intention of reaching Spain.

A spokesperson for the coast guard said it had discovered 86 individuals aboard the rescued vessel, adding that it was not yet able to determine whether the boat was one of the three that had been reported missing.

Helena Maleno, founder of Walking Borders, said on Monday that the organization had contacted authorities in Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco and Spain, urging them to join the search for the missing vessels.

"There needs to be more resources devoted to the search," she said.

According to Walking Borders, all three vessels embarked on their journeys in late June from Kafountine in Senegal's Casamance region, which is located approximately 1,700 km away from Spain's Canary Islands.

Maleno told the BBC that weather conditions in the Atlantic at the time were unfavorable for such a voyage.

The migration route across the Atlantic is renowned as one of the world's deadliest. According to the United Nations, at least 559 individuals lost their lives last year, while attempting to reach the Canary Islands.

The islands have emerged as a primary destination for individuals attempting to reach Spain, with a notable surge in arrivals in 2020 when over 23,000 refugees arrived, according to Spain's Interior Ministry. In the first half of this year alone, the Canaries received in excess of 7,000 refugees.

Kafountine is a common departure point for migrants seeking to reach Europe, Agence France-Presse reported.

David Diatta, mayor of Kafountine, told AFP that Kafountine is a preferred departure location owing to its surrounding islands and inlets, which offer numerous hiding spots for people smugglers and migrants.