A boat carrying over 100 migrants capsized near shore as it arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands, drowning four women and three girls, Spanish authorities confirmed.

In the chaotic scene at El Hierro’s port, survivors clung to ropes and life preservers as rescuers struggled to pull them from the sinking vessel.

According to Spain’s maritime rescue service, the boat tipped over as young passengers were being removed onto a rescue craft, positioned between the migrant boat and the quay.

A helicopter evacuated two critically injured children, a boy and a girl, to a hospital after they nearly drowned.

A Perilous Migration Route

The Canary Islands, off Africa’s western coast, have long been a major migration route, with thousands risking their lives in overcrowded dinghies and rubber boats unfit for the treacherous journey across the Atlantic.

Last year, nearly 47,000 migrants successfully reached the archipelago, marking record-breaking arrivals for a second consecutive year. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal, and Morocco, with many departing from Mauritania’s coast.

A Tragic Pattern of Loss

Despite declining arrivals—down 34% compared to mid-May 2024, according to Spanish authorities—the dangers persist, as countless lives have been lost attempting to reach European shores.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lamented the tragedy at El Hierro, stating, “Lives were lost in an attempt to find a better future. This should move us all.”

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