Cruise Ship Rescues 68 Migrants, Finds 5 Bodies off Canary Islands

A cruise ship rescued 68 migrants and discovered five bodies in a drifting wooden dinghy off the Canary Islands. The rescue followed the sighting of the dinghy by an oil tanker. The incident underscores the perilous Atlantic route taken by migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

A cruise ship has rescued 68 migrants and discovered five bodies in a wooden dinghy drifting off the Canary Islands, according to Spain's maritime rescue agency.

The agency reported that an oil tanker traveling from northwestern Spain to Brazil spotted the dinghy on Wednesday, approximately 440 nautical miles south of Tenerife, a part of the Canary Islands archipelago.

Authorities diverted the cruise ship Insignia to rescue the migrants, with the ship's crew recovering three of the five bodies found. Due to adverse weather conditions, the remains of two individuals were left at sea.

The maritime rescue agency stated that the Insignia is expected to arrive on Friday at Santa Cruz, Tenerife.

The Canary Islands have become a key destination for migrants from northwestern Africa attempting a treacherous Atlantic passage to seek better living conditions in Europe.

The Spanish Interior Ministry revealed that a record 55,618 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands by boat last year, a significant increase from the previous year. So far this year, more than 23,000 migrants have landed.

According to the Spanish nonprofit Caminando Fronteras, over 5,000 migrants have died attempting to reach Spanish shores this year through May, with most fatalities occurring on the Atlantic route. The total number of deaths for 2023 was 6,600, more than double the figures from 2022.