There was little hope for survivors on Sunday after an unsuccessful search for 48 missing people. Regional President Fernando Clavijo had said on Saturday evening that the missing people were probably dead. Nine bodies were found after the crash. 27 migrants rescued.
According to the Spanish coast guard, the boat carrying 84 passengers sank about seven kilometers south of the Canary Island of El Hierro on Saturday evening. According to the Coast Guard, the boat capsized during the rescue operation because all the passengers were crowded on one side of the boat.
Over recent times, the number of people hoping for a better life has increased Europe towards the Canary Islands, located off the northwest coast of Africa in the Atlantic. According to government data, more than 22,300 migrants arrived on the islands aboard nearly 300 boats in mid-August.
The route across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands is extremely dangerous, but less policed than the Mediterranean. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 4,857 people have died or gone missing on the crossing since 2014, and the non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras even estimates that more than 18,600 people have died during the crossing.