MADRID, May 28 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people, all of them women and children, have been confirmed dead by Canary Islands emergency services after a dinghy carrying approximately 180 people overturned on Wednesday at the entrance to the port of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands.
Rescue services reported that the dead included four women, along with two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl.
The accident happened as the boat was being towed to a pier so its occupants, all migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, could disembark. It was less than ten meters from the quayside when it overturned.
Although the exact reason for the boat overturning remains under investigation, it appears that the majority of the occupants moved to the side closer to the quay, with the shift in weight causing the vessel to become fatally unbalanced.
Emergency services also reported that some people were pulled unconscious from the water, with two children rescued in serious condition and taken to hospital.
The tragedy was captured by TV cameras, with images showing the crew of a rescue vessel throwing lifejackets and lifebelts into the sea as desperate survivors struggled to clamber aboard.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reacted to the tragedy on social media with a post that read: "The tragedy experienced in El Hierro should move us all ... We must rise to the occasion. It's a matter of humanity." ■