Three migrant boats carrying people from Senegal to Spain’s Canary Islands have vanished, leaving over 300 people missing, as reported by migrant aid group Walking Borders.
According to Helena Maleno of Walking Borders, two boats carrying around 65 and 50-60 people respectively, have been missing for 15 days since they departed from Senegal in an attempt to reach Spain.
A third boat carrying roughly 200 people also left Senegal on June 27th, and the families of those on board have not received any communication since their departure, as reported by Maleno.
Maleno expressed concern for the families of the missing, as all 300 people hail from the same area of Senegal and have left due to instability in the region.
Each of the three boats departed from Kafountine in the Southern region of Senegal, approximately 1,700 kilometres away from Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands.
Migrants attempting to reach Spain have been flocking to the Canary Islands located off the coast of West Africa. While some try to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland, the majority aim for the Canary Islands.
The Atlantic migration route is highly dangerous and is primarily used by sub-Saharan African migrants. In 2022, the U.N’s International Organisation for Migration recorded that at least 559 people, including 22 children, perished while attempting to reach the Canary Islands.
