add content hereAt least nine migrants have died, and 48 remain missing after their boat capsized near the Spanish island of El Hierro.
The tragic incident occurred early Saturday and may become the deadliest migrant disaster in the Canary Islands in three decades.
Rescue services managed to save 27 of the 84 migrants attempting the perilous journey to the Spanish coast.
The migrants were reported to be from Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal, according to Spanish authorities.
The boat sank during the rescue, approximately four miles east of El Hierro.
Manuel Barroso, head of Spain’s maritime rescue, said the migrants crowded onto one side of the boat, causing it to capsize.
Poor visibility and strong winds hampered the rescue efforts, which continue as emergency services search for the missing.
So far, nine bodies have been recovered.
Three additional boats carrying 208 migrants successfully reached the Canary Islands overnight, officials reported.
The route from Africa to the islands has seen a surge in traffic, with 21,620 migrants crossing in the first seven months of this year, a 154% increase.
The deadliest migrant shipwreck in the Canary Islands occurred in 2009, when 25 people died off Lanzarote.
