More than 80 migrants feared dead after boat rescued off Canary Islands

September 3, 2026 at 03:19 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Spanish Maritime Rescue found 44 survivors and five dead bodies aboard a migrant boat adrift for 27 days southwest of Gran Canaria. Human rights group Caminando Fronteras says 83 people died. Rescuers could not recover the five bodies due to rough seas.

Key Facts

The boat departed The Gambia in early August with 127 occupants, according to Spanish Maritime Rescue.
Caminando Fronteras founder Helena Maleno Garzón said 83 people lost their lives.
The vessel was located 65 nautical miles southwest of Arguineguín, Gran Canaria.
Three survivors were airlifted to hospital in critical condition.
The boat left Gambia on 7 August with 128 people, according to Caminando Fronteras.

Rescue Operation

Spanish Maritime Rescue teams located the vessel some 65 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria's coastal town of Arguineguín on Wednesday. They found 44 survivors and five dead bodies on board. Three of the survivors were airlifted to hospital in critical condition. The rest were transported by sea to Gran Canaria, where they disembarked in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Casualty Estimates

Human rights activist Helena Maleno Garzón, founder of Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras, said 83 people had lost their lives. The boat is believed to have departed The Gambia in West Africa in early August with 127 occupants on board. Maritime Rescue said it could not verify how many people were originally on board the vessel as it was not within its remit. The Spanish Coast Guard estimates at least 80 people died, according to EFE citing Coast Guard sources.

Adverse Conditions

Rescuers were forced to leave the five bodies they found due to the rough sea conditions, Maritime Rescue said. Once the rescue was complete, adverse weather conditions in the area - featuring 20-knot winds and 2.5m waves - made it impossible to recover the five bodies found on board the vessel. The boat sank about 120 kilometers off the Canary Islands, according to EFE.