300 migrants missing at sea near Spanish Canary Islands

No fewer than 300 people who were travelling on three migrant boats from Senegal to Spain’s Canary Islands have disappeared.

A migrant aid group, Walking Borders disclosed in an interview, saying that two boats, one carrying about 65 people and the other with between 50 and 60 on board, have been missing for 15 days.

He said they left Senegal to try to reach Spain, while the third boat left Senegal on June 27 with about 200 people aboard.

Helena Maleno of Walking Borders said the families of those on board have not heard from them since they left their various locations.

All three boats left Kafountine in the south of Senegal, which is about 1,700 kilometres (1,057 miles) from Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands.

The families are very worried. There are about 300 people from the same area of Senegal. They have left because of the instability in Senegal.

The Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa have become the primary destination for migrants attempting to reach Spain, with a much smaller number also seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland.

Reuters disclosed that summer is the busiest period for all attempted crossings.

The Atlantic migration route, one of the deadliest in the world, is typically used by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

At least 559 people – including 22 children – died in 2022 in attempts to reach the Canary Islands, according to data from the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration.