A boy of about ten years old and a young man of 18, both from Mali, died of cold in a canoe in which they were traveling with 50 other men on board and which was rescued last Tuesday night by Salvamento Marítimo south of Gran Canaria, as confirmed by sources from the emergency services. The two boys had already died when the coastal surveillance radar detected the boat about 17 kilometers from Maspalomas and the Guardamar Concepción Arenal went out in search of it. This tragedy, one more on the Canary Islands migratory route in which hundreds of people die every year, coincides in time with the approval of the EU migration pact, which toughens access for those who try to access the community space irregularly.
The Efe agency has specified that the oldest of the deceased is an 18-year-old boy, identified by the documents he was carrying as Bira T. The identity of the child, Djibril N., between 10 and 12 years old, has been provided by one of his traveling companions.
According to the survivors' accounts, Bira T. died during the course of Tuesday, on his last day at sea, and Djibril N. perished shortly before the Maritime Rescue ship found them. Death occurred due to hypothermia, according to these testimonies. The occupants of the canoe have reported that during the journey they suffered intense cold, increased by the waves that constantly wet them.
Between January 1 and December 15, 37,187 people arrived on the Canary Islands in 561 boats, which represents an increase of 140.4% compared to the same period last year. The Canary Islands are the destination of 72% of the migrants who arrive in Spain.
The count carried out by the World Organization for Migration (IOM), dependent on the United Nations, indicates that this year no less than 502 people have died in boats and cayucos heading to the Canary Islands, more than half of them (304) in the last month. The IOM always clarifies that its data should be taken as the minimum number of victims, since numerous “silent shipwrecks” escape its monitoring because the boat or canoe in question disappears into the ocean with all its occupants, without any body being recovered. and without any survivor left to bear witness to what happened.
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