Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 31, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSeven migrants died near Canary Islands when their boat capsized. The tragedy underscores the dangers of the Atlantic route from Africa.
MADRID (Reuters) -Seven migrant women and children who died when their boat capsized just metres from 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 really moves you and leaves an impression is when you see the faces, the expressions of those people who didn’t reach their dream, just 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.
(Reporting by Graham Keeley and Borja Suarez; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
The migrant boat capsized just metres from shore in the Canary Islands, resulting in the deaths of seven women and children.
Seven migrant women and children died when their boat capsized, including two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old.
While the number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024, the number of arrivals has fallen this year.
According to migrant rights group Walking Borders, 4,808 people died on the perilous Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after leaving Africa in the first five months of 2024.
Javier Iglesias, a local resident, rushed to the scene to help after hearing the screams from the capsized boat, doing what he could to assist.
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