At least 5 killed, dozens feared missing after boat found drifting near Spain

Barcelona: At least five people have died, and dozens more are feared dead after a boat carrying West African migrants was found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean, with 44 survivors rescued and brought to Spain's Canary Islands.

Spain's Maritime Rescue Service said Thursday that one of its aircraft spotted the “precarious” boat about 120 kilometres (74 miles) south of Gran Canaria on Wednesday afternoon.

Three migrants were airlifted to a hospital on the island, while another 41 were taken by boat to safety and arrived early Thursday at the port of Arguineguín. They were provided assistance by the Red Cross.

All 44 survivors were men, including some minors, and were from Mali or Senegal, according to José Antonio Rodríguez Verona, a Red Cross spokesperson in the Canary Islands.

Rodríguez Verona told The Associated Press that the survivors appeared disoriented and severely dehydrated. Many collapsed or vomited after reaching land.

Because of their fragile condition, it was initially difficult to establish exactly what had happened during the journey. However, the migrants said they had departed from Gambia and spent “many, many days” stranded at sea. Some believed they had been travelling for nearly a month.

The survivors said they eventually ran short of food and water and became sick after drinking seawater.

They also told the Red Cross that more than 100 people had initially been aboard the boat, including women and a baby. According to their accounts, people died during the journey and their bodies were thrown into the sea as those still alive became too weak to continue.

Spain's Maritime Rescue Service said in an emailed statement that it was unable to recover the remains of five people found inside the boat because of strong winds and waves reaching 2.5 metres (8 feet).

A separate account from Helena Maleno, founder of migrant rights organisation Walking Borders, put the number of deaths much higher. Maleno said 83 people had died during the journey, including three women and a baby. She said in a post on X that the boat had left Gambia 27 days earlier.

Walking Borders frequently receives information from relatives searching for migrants who have gone missing and passes requests for assistance and rescue to Spanish authorities. The AP contacted Maleno and the organisation for additional information but had not received a response.

The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands is among the most dangerous migration routes to Europe. Although the number of arrivals to the islands has declined considerably over the past year, tens of thousands of migrants have died or disappeared on the route in recent years.

Some boats attempting the crossing have drifted far off course, with vessels reported to have travelled across the Atlantic as far as the Americas.