AP
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Four women and three girls were killed on Wednesday when a small boat carrying immigrants capsized while arriving at the port in one of Spain’s Canary Islands, according to Spanish emergency services.
Spanish maritime rescuers, who had boats about six miles (9.6 km) from the coast, said the boat was turned over as rescuers began to take away minors when they arrived at the dock on El Hiero Island.
The movement of the boater made it tilted and then flipped, dumping the resident in the water, Service said.
Emergency Services in the Canary Islands said four women, a teenage girl and two young girls died in an accident. One of the girls was found by a rescue diver.
The helicopter evacuated two children, a girl and a boy, to a local hospital in serious condition after they nearly drowned, the service added.
Local media reports suggested that the small boat was packed with over 100 people. Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross pulled people away from the water.
Situated off the west coast of Africa, the Spanish archipelago was the main route for immigrants who risked dinghy and rubber boats that were not suitable for long journeys in the open sea for years. Thousands are known to die on their way to European territory.
About 47,000 people who scored crossings last year arrived at the archipelago, surpassing previous records for the second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, and had many boarding ships from the Mauritania coast to Spain.
Arrivals include thousands of unaccompanied minors.
Approximately 10,800 people had arrived in the Canary Islands via the Atlantic Ocean by mid-May. This was a 34% decrease compared to the same period in 2024.
