Seven African migrant women and children died metres from shore, buried in Canary Islands

Seven African migrant women and children who died when their boat capsized metres from the shore in Spain's Canary Islands were buried on Friday at the La Restringa harbour where they had hoped to find safety.

Two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old were among the dead, emergency services said. The migrant boat capsized as rescuers were escorting it to port at La Restringa on the El Hierro island on Wednesday, the services said.

“I heard the screams and didn’t hesitate. Like any citizen faced with an emergency or an accident, I got in my car, rushed to where the boat was, and helped however I could,” Javier Iglesias, a La Restringa resident, said at the funeral of the seven, which was also attended by surviving migrants.

“What moves you and leaves an impression is when you see the faces, the expressions of the people who didn’t reach their dream five metres from the shore.”

The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024, but the number of arrivals has fallen this year, interior ministry data shows.

In the first five months of 2024, 4,808 people died on the perilous Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after leaving Africa, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.

Reuters