[ad_1]
While trying to get from Africa to Europe by sea, more than 35 migrants capsized on Tuesday with their boat off the coast of Lanzarote. 28 people survived the accident, at least eight drowned. Four were found dead Tuesday and rescuers recovered four bodies Wednesday. More people are still missing.
The refugee ship capsized in the rough Atlantic sea shortly before reaching Orzola, a fishing village on the north coast of Lanzarote.
The dangerous maritime route from Morocco to the Canary Islands was a widely used refugee route until Spain began to control the coast more closely in 2006. After that, the number of escape attempts dropped to a few hundred per year, until beginning of the crown crisis.
In many regions of Africa there is a lack of income from tourism, one of the sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This year, more than 17,000 Africans desperately tried to reach the Canary Islands, ten times more than last year.
Refugees often begin their journey on rickety boats crammed with unreliable engines. According to the International Organization for Migration, hundreds of them have already died on the dangerous escape route this year.
