FALCON POWERS – The Spanish authorities and the operator of a luxury cruise ship said on Thursday that the ship had rescued dozens of migrants who were attempting to reach the Spanish Canary Islands on a malfunctioning fishing boat, resulting in the deaths of five people.
The archipelago has become the main entry point for illegal migrants from Africa to Spain in recent years, but the route is considered one of the most dangerous maritime passages. The human rights organization Walking Borders said last week that around 5,000 migrants have died on this sea route in the first five months of 2024 alone.
The coast guard said the cargo ship Philipp Oldendorff spotted the boat drifting 440 nautical miles (815 km) south of the island of Tenerife on Wednesday and provided initial assistance to the migrants, while the cruise ship Insignia was diverted to the area to pick up the survivors.
The cruise ship was able to recover three bodies from the boat, but two others could not be retrieved due to the bad weather conditions, so the ship left a locator device to aid the search.
A spokesperson for Oceania Cruises, the owner of the Insignia, confirmed that the ship had rescued 68 people from the stricken boat between Cape Verde and Tenerife, bringing them on board for medical assistance and providing them with food, water, clothes and a safe place to rest.
A Spanish coast guard vessel is now heading to the Canary Islands to meet the cruise ship and determine the location of the sunken boat.
