20 missing, 1 child dead, and 4 seriously injured in a boat travelling to Tenerife

In a harrowing incident on the perilous so-called Canarian Route of irregular migration, a small boat known as a "cayuco" bound for Tenerife from Ghana has claimed the life of a 12-year-old child, left four people seriously injured, and approximately 20 dead as survivors recall how bodies had to be thrown overboard during the treacherous journey.

The cayuco, which embarked from Ghana, was discovered approximately 82 miles south of Granadilla off the coast of Tenerife. The lifeless body of the young teenager was found on board, according to sources from emergency services who provided this information to Efe.

221 occupants of the boat survived the crossing making it to the port of Los Cristianos in the south of Tenerife, 15 of them were taken to local hospitals for further treatment, and another hundred of them received medical attention at the dock.

The quick response of emergency services was pivotal in preventing an even greater catastrophe. The boat was spotted by the Sasemar 101 Maritime Rescue plane on Friday afternoon. Both the Guard Civil's Río Tajo patrol boat and the Maritime Rescue vessel Calíope promptly arrived to assist, rescuing the migrants and recovering the body of the deceased child around 11:20pm on Friday night.

Four of the rescued occupants were in a semi-conscious state and were airlifted from the Maritime Rescue boat by the Helimer 206 helicopter and flown to the Tenerife North airport where they were met by ambulances and transferred to the HUC and Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospitals.

The rest of the survivors were escorted to Los Cristianos arriving at 5:25am yesterday morning (Saturday), where they received initial medical care from the Red Cross. Six of them, in critical condition, were transferred to the Hospital del Sur in Tenerife, while five were sent to Hospiten Sur. Of the latter group, an adult and a minor were later moved to Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital due to their deteriorating health.

At the dock, around a hundred migrants received medical attention, and they recounted the grim ordeal during which approximately 20 bodies were cast overboard.

It is worth noting that the shortest distance between Ghana and Tenerife is 2,760 kilometres, which to put it in perspective is only 200 kilometres less going from the UK to Tenerife! Ghana has emerged as a significant source of irregular migrants, driven by its worst economic crisis in three decades.

The tragedy highlights the perilous nature of the Canarian Route, which the United Nations has recognized as one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.