Rescue services reported that nine migrants had died and 48 were missing after their boat overturned early yesterday near the Spanish island of El Hierro. This could be the deadliest incident involving a crossing to the Canary Islands in thirty years.
Of the 84 migrants, the emergency services were able to save 27; they continued.
The migrants, according to the authorities, were from Senegal, Mauritania, and Mali.
The boat, which was about four miles east of El Hierro, called the rescue squad just after midnight local time. They claimed that during the rescue, it sank.
Wind and poor visibility made the rescue extremely difficult, they added. During the night, three more boats with 208 migrants on board made it to the Canary Islands.
