MADRID, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Two people are confirmed dead and 34 are missing after an inflatable boat carrying a group of migrants to the Canary Islands from the northwest coast of Africa sank around 150 kilometers to the south of the Spanish-controlled island of Gran Canaria, the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service has confirmed.
The tragedy happened after a Maritime Rescue Service aircraft had spotted the vessel, which had 60 people on board, just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
Media reported that rescue operations were coordinated by Morocco, but the inflatable boat sank while waiting around 12 hours for a Moroccan patrol boat to reach its position.
The charity organization "Walking Borders" previously advised that the inflatable boat had set sail from Cape Bojador, a headland on the coast of Western Sahara. Its spokesperson, Helena Maleno, told Spanish TV network, RTVE that Spain should have intervened to make the rescue.
The Spanish rescue vessel, Guardamar Callope, was reportedly only around 46 kilometers away and rescuing the 63 passengers of another vessel at the time the dinghy sank.
The United Nations International Organization for Migration calculated that at least 559 people lost their lives trying to cross from northwest Africa to the Canary Islands in 2022, but the actual number is probably much higher as many dinghies set off without notifying anyone and without being seen.
Meanwhile, around 6,500 people have completed the crossing so far in 2023, with around 1,500 of those in the first half of June. ■