At least 39 people - including child - drown as migrant dinghy sinks
At least 39 people - including a child - have drowned after a dingy boat sank near the Canary Islands.
A rescue operation led by Moroccan authorities said the inflatable dinghy was originally carrying 59 people onboard - with a number still missing, believed drowned.
Helena Maleno, head of Spain's Walking Borders migrants charity said in a tweet that 39 people had drowned around 80 miles off the coast of Gran Canaria.
Alarm Phone, an organisation who receive and respond to distress signals from refugees at sea, reported the boat was taking on water and were getting messages of three passengers dead.
The Spanish coastguard source also said the body of a child was recovered by the Spanish maritime rescue service and sent by helicopter to Gran Canaria, as Moroccan authorities requested their help.
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A group of 51 migrants arrive to Arrecife port after they were rescued from a boat at sea, in Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Adriel Perdomo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)The dinghy had reportedly been begging for rescue in Spanish waters for more than twelve hours.
It comes days after a fishing boat sank off the coast of Greece killing at least 78 - already been confirmed dead in one of the worst migrant disasters in Europe’s history.
So far 104 survivors travelling from Libya to Italy have been rescued, but hundreds more are missing.
The boat was estimated to be carrying up to 750 people when it capsized and sank at around 2am on Wednesday morning, according to the UN migration agency, known as IOM.
The boat carrying up to 750 people left Libya and was bound for ItalyA senior doctor at Kalamata General Hospital, in southern Greece, who treated survivors said they believe as many as 100 children were onboard.
Dr Manolis Makaris, head of cardiology, told the BBC: “They (the survivors) told us that there were children in the bottom of the ship. Children and women.”
He said two patients had given him estimated figures.
An 18-year-old man named Mohammad, who was among the survivors of a capsized fishing boat in Greece, has tearfully reunited with his brother“One told me about 100 children, the other about 50, so I don’t know the truth - but it is many,” he added.
Rescue ships desperately searched the Mediterranean on Thursday for survivors, but experts warned the chances of finding passengers alive were dwindling.
Retired Greek coast guard admiral Nikos Spanos said: “The chances of finding (more survivors) are minimal.”
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Medics transfer a survivor to an ambulance in the port of Kalamata (Eurokinissi/AFP via Getty Images)An aerial photograph of the vessel before it sank released by Greek authorities showed people crammed on the deck. Most were not wearing life jackets.
Experts believe the boat may have sunk after running out of fuel or suffering engine trouble, with movement of passengers causing it to list and ultimately capsize.
Greece’s coastguard has been criticised for not intervening earlier, amid reports of distress phone calls being made by migrants onboard as early as 3pm the previous day, but authorities claim their offers of aid were refused.
Bags with bodies are pictured in a coast guard vessel before at the port in Kalamata (AFP via Getty Images)Greece’s public broadcaster ERT is reporting that 11 to 12 arrests have been made at the Kalamata Port Authority.
The country declared three days of mourning and politicians suspended campaigning for a general election on June 25.
A Supreme Court prosecutor ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths.
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