Dozens Missing, 5 Dead After Migrant Boat Found Drifting Near Canary Islands

CANARY ISLANDS – 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.

Forty-four people were brought to safety in the Canary Islands.

Three survivors were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital on the island. The remaining 41 were brought to safety by boat, where they were being cared for by the Red Cross.

All of the survivors were men, some underage, and they were disoriented and dehydrated, with many collapsing or vomiting upon reaching land.

Migrants reported leaving Gambia and being stranded at sea for “many, many days.” Some estimated they had been at sea for nearly a month. Running out of provisions, they fell ill from drinking seawater.

The survivors also told the Red Cross that more than 100 people were originally on board, including women and a baby.

As people died on the journey, survivors tossed their bodies into the ocean until they had no more strength to do so.