4 refugees found dead in boat off Canary Islands

Four illegal migrants trying to reach the Canary Islands from the coast of African were found dead inside a dinghy, in which they attempted the crossing, the government delegate of the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands confirmed on Sunday.

The dinghy was first spotted by a fishing boat around 120 nautical miles south of the island of El Hierro and three rescue helicopters were called to the scene, reported Xinhua.

The Red Cross said the dinghy was carrying 23 people from sub-Saharan Africa and that the remaining 19 were suffering from dehydration and hypothermia to varying degrees, with three reported to be in a serious condition.

The 19 survivors were flown to hospital on Tenerife, while the four bodies were taken to El Hierro.

The four deaths raise to 47 the total number of people known to have lost their lives attempting to reach the Canary Islands since the start of 2021.