At least seven asylum seekers have died after their overcrowded wooden vessel was struck by violent storms while attempting the perilous maritime crossing to Spain's Canary Islands.
The boat, which was carrying 139 people across the open Atlantic Ocean, encountered severe weather that battered the fragile craft before maritime rescuers could reach the scene, Al Jazeera reported. Survivors were brought ashore in the Spanish archipelago, where emergency medical teams treated dozens for severe hypothermia, acute dehydration, and physical exhaustion following days adrift in mountainous seas.
Local emergency crews confirmed that seven bodies were recovered from the vessel, though aid organisations fear the true death toll could climb as several passengers remain in critical condition in regional hospitals.
Perilous Atlantic passage claims more lives
The disaster marks the latest chapter in what humanitarian organisations describe as one of the world's most treacherous irregular migration routes. Originating primarily from the coasts of Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco, the Atlantic journey to the Spanish territories exposes migrants to brutal maritime elements over hundreds of kilometres of open ocean.
According to humanitarian monitors, the Atlantic route has witnessed an unprecedented surge in departures over the past two years, as traditional corridors across the Mediterranean become increasingly militarised and impassable due to stepped-up policing by North African and European coastguards.
Despite the evident perils, thousands of people—frequently travelling aboard traditional wooden fishing skiffs known as pirogues—continue to board unseaworthy vessels fitted with rudimentary outboard motors, insufficient life jackets, and negligible navigational equipment.
Overcrowded wooden skiffs face treacherous swells
Survivors of Atlantic crossings frequently recount harrowing voyages lasting more than a week, during which rations of potable water and dry food run out within days. In rough winter and spring conditions, squalls and strong swells can easily swamp low-lying skiffs, while engine failures leave passengers helplessly adrift in prevailing ocean currents that push boats thousands of kilometres off course toward the central Atlantic.
Rescue workers in the Canary Islands have noted an alarming frequency of severe trauma cases among survivors. Those who survive the crossing often arrive suffering from severe salt-water burns, kidney failure induced by extreme dehydration, and profound psychological distress after watching fellow travellers perish en route.
Pressure mounts across Canary archipelago
The influx has placed sustained logistical and political strain on the regional administration of the Canary Islands. Reception centres across islands such as El Hierro, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria have repeatedly exceeded capacity, prompting heated debate in Madrid and Brussels over burden-sharing and the resettlement of arrivals across the European mainland.
Aid agencies warn that without viable legal pathways and cooperative rescue initiatives between West African nations and the European Union, the loss of life will continue unabated. For thousands fleeing armed conflict, political repression, and economic despair across the Sahel and West Africa, the lethal waters off the Atlantic coast remain a desperate gamble of last resort.
