More than 80 Migrants Feared Dead After Boat Drifts for 27 Days Near Canary Islands
4 sources across 4 countries · Italy · Spain · United Kingdom · United States
Who reported this
- ANSA
- El Pais
- BBC News
- CNN
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
More than 80 people are feared dead or missing after a migrant boat that departed from Gambia 27 days ago was rescued adrift south of the Canary Islands. Spanish Maritime Rescue (SASEMAR) located the vessel on Wednesday, approximately 65 nautical miles southwest of Arguineguín on Gran Canaria. Rescuers found 44 survivors, all men of sub-Saharan origin, and five deceased bodies on board. Due to rough sea conditions, including 20 knot winds and waves reaching 2.5 meters, authorities were unable to recover the five bodies.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras and the Guardia Civil, the boat originally carried 128 people, including four women and a baby. Helena Maleno, founder of Caminando Fronteras, stated that 83 people lost their lives. Survivors reported to the Red Cross that they had run out of provisions and suffered from dehydration and disorientation, with some having drunk seawater. Three survivors were airlifted to the Doctor Negrin University Hospital in critical condition, while others were treated for dehydration upon arrival at the port of Arguineguín early Thursday morning.
Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands government, described the Atlantic as a route of death and called for an urgent state migration policy and European Union commitment to prevent further loss of life. The incident occurs amid a broader migration crisis, including a significant surge of migrants in Ceuta during late July.
Reporting on the event varied by political lean. Center outlets focused primarily on the logistical details of the rescue and the casualty counts. Center left outlets emphasized the humanitarian tragedy and the political necessity for a systemic state and European migration policy to address the crisis.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets highlighted the humanitarian crisis and the political demands for a coordinated state and EU migration policy.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the factual reporting of the rescue operation and the number of casualties.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: At least 5 migrants dead on a boat to the Canaries adrift for 27 days, "perhaps 80 among victims and missing"
- Centre BBC News: More than 80 migrants feared dead after boat rescued off Canary Islands
- Centre-left CNN: Dozens feared dead after migrant boat found drifting near Spain’s Canary Islands
- Centre-left El Pais: More than 80 people die in a cayuco rescued south of Canarias
93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.