Seven dead as migrant boat capsizes off Spain's Canary Islands
Listen to article
Seven people, including four women and three girls, have died after a boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized while approaching the port of El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands, emergency services said on Wednesday.
The small vessel, believed to be carrying more than 100 people, overturned just metres from the dock as rescuers were attempting to disembark minors, Al Jazeera reported.
Spain's maritime rescue service said the sudden movement of passengers caused the boat to tip over and dump its occupants into the water.
Red Cross spokesman Alexis Ramos told broadcaster RTVE that there could be 'more than 100 people' on board, though the exact number of those missing remains unclear.
A helicopter airlifted two more children — a girl and a boy — to hospital in critical condition after they were pulled from the sea. The boat was first spotted roughly 10 kilometres (6 miles) offshore before being escorted to the dock, officials said.
Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into the latest incident.
The Canary Islands, located off Africa's western coast, have long been a key gateway for refugees and migrants attempting the perilous journey to European territory. Many travel in overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels, risking their lives in hopes of reaching Spain.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries last year, with the majority coming from Mali, Senegal and Morocco. Many embark from the Mauritanian coastline, often enduring treacherous conditions during the Atlantic crossing.
The route continues to see a large number of unaccompanied minors among the arrivals. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for increased support and safer migration pathways to prevent such tragedies.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
As crash preliminary report nears, Air India jet's fuel switches in focus
A tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed is seen stuck on a building after the incident in Ahmedabad, India Listen to article A preliminary report into the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner in June is expected to be released by Friday, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, with one adding the probe had narrowed its focus to the movement of the plane's fuel control switches. The London-bound Boeing (BA.N) 787 Dreamliner, which started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and the rest on the ground. The investigation into the Air India crash is focusing on the movement of the engine fuel control switches following an analysis of the 787's flight and voice data recorders, along with a simulation by Boeing of the aircraft's final moments, one of the sources said. The investigation has not raised any immediate concerns over mechanical failure, the source said, and there has been no bulletin to airlines recommending changes to 787 operations. Boeing declined to comment. Aviation industry publication The Air Current first reported the focus on the fuel switches that help power the plane's two engines. It was not clear what specific actions involving the fuel switches are being looked at by investigators. Sources told the Air Current that the available information on the black boxes could not rule in or out improper, inadvertent, or intentional actions that preceded or followed the apparent loss of thrust before the aircraft crashed. US aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. "You can't bump them and they move," he said. Cox added that if a switch were shut off, the effect would be almost immediate, cutting off engine power. Read: Regulators warned Air India Express about delay on Airbus engine fix Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors. The investigation is focusing at least partly on engine thrust, Reuters reported last month. While the report from Indian investigators could be made public on Friday, the three sources cautioned Reuters that plans could change and there was no clarity on how much information would be available in the document, which comes about 30 days after the June 12 tragedy. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe under international rules, did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours. Information release The probe has been dogged by questions over a lack of information, after investigators took about two weeks to download flight recorder data after the crash. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken. However, India reversed course on an earlier decision reported by Reuters to prevent a UN aviation investigator from joining the probe, two senior sources said. A specialist from the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was granted observer status, following an unusual request by the agency to offer its support. ICAO declined to comment, adding in a statement that any public discussion of "cooperative arrangements" would require authorisation by the state. The crash is challenging the Tata Group's ambitious campaign to restore Air India's reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022. India is banking on a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, with New Delhi saying it wants India to be a job-creating global aviation hub along the lines of Dubai, which currently handles much of the country's international traffic. A panel of Indian lawmakers will review safety in the country's civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on Wednesday, with topics set to include the recent plane crash.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business Recorder
Air India jet's fuel switches in focus, as crash preliminary report nears
A preliminary report into the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner in June is expected to be released by Friday, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, with one adding the probe had narrowed its focus to the movement of the plane's fuel control switches. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and the rest on the ground. The investigation into the Air India crash is focusing on the movement of the engine fuel control switches following an analysis of the 787's flight and voice data recorders, along with a simulation by Boeing of the aircraft's final moments, one of the sources said. The investigation has not raised any immediate concerns over mechanical failure, the source said, and there has been no bulletin to airlines recommending changes to 787 operations. Boeing declined to comment. Aviation industry publication the Air Current, opens new tab first reported the focus on the fuel switches that help power the plane's two engines. It was not clear what specific actions involving the fuel switches are being looked at by investigators. Sources told the Air Current that the available information on the black boxes could not rule in or out improper, inadvertent or intentional actions that preceded or followed the apparent loss of thrust before the aircraft crashed. U.S. aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. 'You can't bump them and they move,' he said. Cox added that if a switch was shut off, the effect would be almost immediate, cutting off engine power. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors. The investigation is focusing at least partly on engine thrust, Reuters reported last month. While the report from Indian investigators could be made public on Friday, the three sources cautioned to Reuters that plans could change and there was no clarity on how much information would be available in the document, which comes about 30 days after the June 12 tragedy. Air India Dreamliner crashes into Ahmedabad college hostel, kills over 290 The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe under international rules, did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours. Information release The probe has been dogged by questions over lack of information, after investigators took about two weeks to download flight recorder data after the crash. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken. However, India reversed course on an earlier decision reported by Reuters to prevent a U.N. aviation investigator from joining the probe, two senior sources said. A specialist from the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was granted observer status, following an unusual request by the agency to offer its support. ICAO declined to comment, adding in a statement that any public discussion of 'cooperative arrangements,' would require authorisation by the state. The crash is challenging the Tata Group's ambitious campaign to restore Air India's reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022. India is banking on a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, with New Delhi saying it wants India to be a job-creating global aviation hub along the lines of Dubai, which currently handles much of the country's international traffic. A panel of Indian lawmakers will review safety in the country's civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on Wednesday, with topics set to include the recent plane crash.
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Migrant boat sinks off Tunisia-Italy route, leaving one dead, 87 rescued
Listen to article A migrant boat sank between Tunisia and Italy, leaving one woman dead, though the Italian coastguard managed to rescue 87 survivors, the Red Cross told AFP Monday. After setting out from La Louza in Tunisia, the fishing boat sank in the middle of the night when it was approximately 45 miles (72 kilometres) from Italy's Lampedusa island, according to Italian media. Tunisian fishermen in the area alerted Italian authorities, they said, adding that at least five or six migrants were believed to be still missing. The rescued migrants, all from sub-Saharan Africa, were transported to a reception centre in Lampedusa for care, according to the Italian Red Cross, which runs the centre. It said the coastguard had recovered the body of a drowned woman. As of June 30, 29,903 migrants have landed on Italian shores this year, including 5,146 unaccompanied minors, according to Italy's interior ministry. That was slightly higher than last year during the same period but less than half of 2023, when 65,519 migrants arrived from January until the end of June. Most of those arriving in Italy from north Africa come via the central Mediterranean route, one of the world's deadliest. Last year, the International Organization for Migration recorded 2,452 people who died while crossing the Mediterranean in the hopes of reaching Europe. There were an estimated 3,155 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean in 2023. The figure has been on the rise since a low of 1,450 in 2020, according to the IOM.
