The Canary Islands' migration crisis continues to escalate, with Lanzarote bearing a growing toll of lives lost. On Tuesday, a fishing vessel retrieved the bodies of two young Maghrebi men off the coast of the island.
The fishing boat met the Guardamar Urania maritime rescue vessel out at sea to transfer the deceased, which brought the bodies to Puerto Naos around midday.
Just two hours earlier, another rescue boat, the Guardamar Calíope, had arrived at the same port with 225 rescued migrants. The presence of an undertaker’s van at the dock earlier in the day hinted at the grim discovery.
Details of the Victims
According to preliminary information from Efe, the deceased were two men in their early 20s. One of them was wearing a life jacket, while the other had used inner tube of a tyre as an improvised flotation device.
In the last few days, at least eight migrants have been reported dead in Lanzarote, with only three bodies recovered so far. In addition to the two retrieved on Tuesday, the body of a woman was recovered on Sunday by a Maritime Rescue crew. Five other migrants are believed to have drowned, their bodies seen sinking into the sea by a rescue helicopter.
Ongoing Rescues and Dire Circumstances
Among the 225 people rescued from four separate boats, one woman had to be urgently taken to a hospital in critical condition. Sources report that she is diabetic and had been without insulin for several hours. She also showed signs of severe dehydration and second-degree burns.
The tragic deaths this week highlight the life-threatening conditions faced by migrants attempting the perilous journey to the Canary Islands. With overloaded boats and insufficient safety measures, many of these journey’s end in disaster. The strain on rescue operations continues to grow, with Maritime Rescue conducting near-continuous missions to locate and aid people in distress.
