Spanish emergency services said on Thursday that hundreds of migrants were rescued after being exposed to difficult conditions off the Canary Islands within a few hours.
The Maritime Safety and Rescue Association said that teams worked throughout the night to care for a total of 516 migrants who were on board five boats. The passengers included young children and newborns, and most of them came from sub-Saharan African countries.
The migrants, some of whom were in critical condition, were transferred to the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and El Hierro in the Atlantic Ocean.
The passengers told rescuers that between 10 and 12 people died on board one of the boats during the trip, and their bodies were thrown into the sea.
Local Spanish media, including La Provincia newspaper, reported that a woman gave birth while she was on the boat.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior said that about 21,000 migrants arrived in Spain by sea during the first five months of this year, which represents an increase of 136% compared to the same period last year.
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