Kirsty Mckenzie
At least four people died, including a woman reported to be pregnant and a child, and another four were missing after a migrant boat overturned off Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
The inflatable boat was carrying 49 people when it came into difficulty near the port of Órzola, in the north of the island.
Rescuers were able to pull 41 people to safety, emergency services said.
Enrique Espinosa, head of Lanzarote’s emergency services, told AFP: “It is a very rocky area and… if you don’t know it well, you will crash straight onto the reef.
“Three people died, among them two women, one of whom we believe was pregnant.
Sadly rescuers later found the body of a young boy believed to be around eight-years-old.
Among the survivors were 20 men, 17 women, two children and two babies.
The incident happened late on Thursday at around 10pm and locals rushed to help when they saw people struggling in the water.
“It was at 10:00 pm on a summer evening and a lot of people were in the street. Thanks to that, everyone jumped into the water to try to rescue them,” Espinosa said.
The migrants were believed to have set off from the Moroccan town of Tantan two days before the tragic accident.
Overnight, another two boats carrying 110 migrants managed to reach two other islands in the Canaries, carrying 96 men, eight women and six minors.
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