Five missing after migrant boat is intercepted near Lanzarote
A major maritime rescue operation took place in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) off the coast of Lanzarote after a rubber boat carrying around 60 migrants was intercepted 45 nautical miles east of the island. They were first spotted by a merchant ship, which alerted the emergency services.
Rescue teams from Salvamento Marítimo responded quickly, but before they could arrive, several people jumped into the sea in a desperate attempt to reach the larger boat. At least five people are still missing in the Atlantic.
The Guardamar Polimnia rescued 52 people from the inflatable boat at around 1:25 am and pulled one person from the water. Meanwhile, the merchant ship managed to save another two people who had also jumped into the sea.
A total of 56 survivors were transferred to Puerto de Arrecife at approximately 5:00 am. On board the dinghy were 44 men, 12 women, and six minors, five of whom were travelling without their parents. The boat is believed to have departed from Morocco.
The operation was coordinated by Salvamento Marítimo de Las Palmas under the direction of the Capitanía Marítima de Las Palmas. After arriving safely, several survivors told translators that at least three people were unaccounted for.
As a result, a large-scale search was launched in the area where the rescue took place to try to locate the missing people. Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish human rights organisation, has since reported that five people, four men and one woman, are currently missing.
In addition, the Sasemar 103 aircraft has been deployed to search for two more migrant boats reportedly en route to Lanzarote.
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