MADRID: According to the Spanish coastguard, at least one person was killed and 24 were missing when a boat carrying migrants collapsed in the Atlantic Ocean off Spain’s Canary Islands on Tuesday.

The boat left from Cap Boujdour in Western Sahara with 61 passengers on board, but rescuers only discovered 36 alive overnight, according to a coastguard spokesman.

She said that two youngsters and ten women were among the survivors rescued and transferred to safety off the island of Gran Canaria.

Earlier on Tuesday, a coastguard spokesperson stated that 34 people had been rescued and 26 were still missing.

According to Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish NGO that assists migrant boats in difficulty, 27 individuals perished in the disaster, including 13 women and six babies.

The Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa has emerged as the primary route for migrants attempting to reach Europe.

According to Spain, a total of 6,359 persons entered illegally in the Canaries by sea between January 1 and April 15, 60 percent more than in the same time in 2021.

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