Seven Migrants, Including Four Women And Three Girls, Drown After Boat Capsizes Off Spain’s Canary Islands

Tragedy struck off Spain’s Canary Islands on Wednesday when a migrant boat carrying over 150 people capsized during disembarkation, leading to the drowning of seven people, including four women and three girls—the youngest just five years old.
The incident occurred at La Restinga port on the island of El Hierro, one of the seven main islands in the Atlantic archipelago. According to emergency services, the vessel overturned after migrants crowded to one side as they disembarked, causing the already overloaded boat to tip over.
Spain’s maritime rescue service, which had initially located the boat some six nautical miles from shore, confirmed that it was carrying 159 people, including 49 women and 32 minors. The nationalities and departure point of the boat are yet to be confirmed.
Among the victims was a five-year-old girl and a 16-year-old, authorities said. A three-year-old boy and another five-year-old girl narrowly escaped drowning and were airlifted to a hospital in Tenerife for emergency care. Additionally, two three-month-old babies, a pregnant woman, and three other minors are being treated at a hospital on El Hierro.
Footage aired by Spanish broadcaster RTVE showed the desperate moments of the rescue, with lifebuoys thrown to migrants clinging to the overturned vessel or treading water in panic.
“This is terrible, just terrible,” said Juan Miguel Padrón, mayor of El Pinar, expressing deep frustration and sorrow. He noted that some migrants were likely trapped in the vessel while others died trying to reach what they had hoped would be “the promised land.”
The head of El Hierro’s local government, Alpidio Armas, questioned how a tragedy of this magnitude could occur just meters from safety.
“We are doing something wrong,” he said.
Anselmo Pestana, the central government’s representative in the Canary Islands, highlighted that extreme fatigue among migrants often complicates rescue efforts.
“If the rescue was not immediate, they probably sunk very quickly,” he explained.
Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands, reiterated longstanding concerns about the strain placed on local resources.
“We ask for decisive action from the European Union,” he said. “Those far removed in offices don’t understand the reality we live.”
Spain has faced a sharp surge in irregular migrant arrivals in recent years, particularly through the perilous Atlantic route from West Africa, often via Mali, Senegal, or Morocco. Nearly 47,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands in 2024, setting a new record for the second consecutive year.
The route is notoriously dangerous due to strong currents and unseaworthy vessels. The NGO Caminando Fronteras reports that at least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared attempting to reach Spain by sea between January and December 2024.
Although 2025 has seen a 34.4% decline in arrivals as of May 15 compared to the same period last year, this latest tragedy underscores the continued risks faced by those fleeing instability and seeking a better life.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences on social media, saying:
“These are lives lost in a desperate attempt to find a better future. It should move us all.”
The post Seven Migrants, Including Four Women And Three Girls, Drown After Boat Capsizes Off Spain’s Canary Islands appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.