At least 227 migrants were rescued off Spain’s Canary Islands on Thursday, one day after 30 deaths of migrants were reported there. The Coast Guard saved the migrants traveling on inflatable boats near the Lanzarote and Gran Canaria islands in the Atlantic. A number of those rescued were taken to the hospital for mild conditions.
On Wednesday it was reported that more than 30 migrants may have drowned in a dinghy near Gran Canaria. 24 people were rescued but the charities Walking Borders and Alarm Phone said about 60 people were on board. These charities monitor migrant boats and receive calls from those on board. A Spanish rescue ship was about an hour from the dinghy on Tuesday evening, but Moroccan officials had taken over the operation at the time and dispatched a patrol boat to arrive on Wednesday morning. The Africa-Atlantic migration route is considered one of the deadliest. The leader of the Canary Islands regions has described the incident as a tragedy and called on the EU to establish a policy allowing a more coordinated response to migration issues.
