More than 80 migrants feared dead after boat rescued off Canary Islands

3 September 2026, 11: 19 BST. Updated 2 minutes ago.

Key points

• The boat is believed to have departed The Gambia in West Africa in early August with 127 occupants on board.
• More than 80 individuals, including a baby, are feared to have died in a boat which was adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for 27 days.
• The 44 survivors are men from sub-Saharan Africa, Maritime Rescue remarked in an official note.
• The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings.
• The rest were transported by sea to Gran Canaria, where they disembarked in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Spanish Maritime Rescue teams located the vessel some 65 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria's coastal town of Arguineguín on Wednesday and discovered 44 survivors, with five dead bodies additionally on board.

Notably, the boat is believed to have departed The Gambia in West Africa in early August with 127 occupants on board. Human rights activist Helena Maleno Garzón, founder of Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras, remarked 83 residents had lost their lives.

Rescuers were forced to leave the five bodies they discovered due to the rough sea conditions, Maritime Rescue stated.

Meanwhile, the organisation was unable to verify how plenty of residents were originally on board.

Meanwhile, the 44 survivors are men from sub-Saharan Africa, Maritime Rescue remarked in an official note.

"Once the rescue was complete, adverse weather conditions in the area – featuring 20-knot winds and 2.5m waves – made it impossible to recover the five bodies found on board the vessel, " it continued. Three of the survivors were airlifted to hospital in critical condition.

Notably, the rest were transported by sea to Gran Canaria, where they disembarked in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands administration, posted on X: "It is intolerable that lives continue to be lost. The Canaries cannot obtain employed to or accept as normal the fact that the Atlantic continues to be a death trap."

For context, the Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings.

Thousands of migrants attempt the perilous journey each year seeking to reach Spanish territory despite the risks posed by rough seas, solid currents and long distances.

In short, more than 80 migrants feared dead after boat rescued off Canary Islands is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.