A tragic accident occurred 6km off the coast of El Hierro last night, when a cayuco (small boat) carrying migrants capsized near the shores of Las Playas in the municipality of Valverde. Emergency services have so far recovered nine bodies and continue the search for at least 48 others who are still missing.
Of the 84 people onboard, 27 survivors have been rescued. Twenty-five of them were taken to the port of La Restinga, while two critically injured passengers were airlifted to hospital to receive urgent medical care.
The emergency teams reported that all the passengers were male, but there are fears that minors were also onboard, as one of the bodies recovered was that of a teenager, believed to be aged between 12 and 15 years old.
The group aboard the cayuco themselves alerted emergency services via 112, which allowed authorities to locate the vessel. The rescue operation began around 3:00am, during which the cayuco reportedly capsized in 37km winds when the occupants of the boat stood up to wave at Maritime Rescue to get their attention, accidentally tipping it over.
Currently, the Guardia Civil and Maritime Rescue teams are continuing to search for bodies in the area. Meanwhile, two other cayucos arrived on the shores of El Hierro overnight. One arrived at La Restinga around midnight, carrying 131 people, including 107 men, 15 women, five children, and four infants. Another reached the coast at 7:30am, with 20 passengers onboard - 18 men, one woman, and one child. Ten people from these boats required medical attention upon arrival.
Additionally, a separate boat with 57 passengers, including three women, was rescued near Lanzarote and taken to Puerto Naos.
Authorities are also searching for a fourth cayuco, which has not yet been located. The increasing number of migrant boats reaching the Canary Islands highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region.
