Madrid (TDI): As many as 50 people, a majority of them Pakistanis, were feared dead after a migrant boat capsized while trying to make the crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands.
According to migrant rights group Walking Borders; Moroccan authorities had rescued 36 people on Wednesday from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2. The boat had 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, on board.
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“44 of those feared dead were from Pakistan, Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X.
They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without receiving any help, she said.
Meanwhile, Spain’s maritime rescue service said it had been informed about a boat that had set off from Nouakchott in Mauritania on January 10 and was experiencing problems but it could not confirm if it was the same boat.
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The rescue service said it carried out aerial search for the boat but failed after which it alerted nearby ships.
However, Walking Borders said it had alerted authorities from six countries about the missing boat. Alarm Phone – another NGO working for migrants lost at sea said it had alerted Spain’s authorities on January 12.
According to Walking Borders, a record 10,457 migrants lost their lives in 2024 while attempting to reach Spain, averaging 30 deaths per day. Most of these fatalities occurred on the perilous Atlantic route from West African nations like Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary Islands.
Last month, five Pakistanis lost their lives when boats capsized in the South of Greece.
