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DROWN HORROR
At least 39 drown including child off Canary Islands as migrant dinghy sinks in waters near Gran Canaria
AT LEAST 39 people including a child have drowned after a migrant dinghy sank off the Canary Islands.
The tragic news was confirmed by a source in the Spanish maritime rescue service that said 24 people were rescued from the sinking dinghy.
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The Moroccan-led rescue operation was carried out some 88 miles to the southeast of Gran Canaria island.
Two organizations focusing on migration, Walking Borders and Alarm Phone, said the dinghy was originally carrying 59 people on board.
Helena Maleno, head of Spain's Walking Borders migrants charity, said in a tweet that 39 people had drowned, while Alarm Phone said 35 people were missing.
Earlier today, Alarm Phone reported the boat was taking on water and three passengers were dead, adding: "We demand immediate rescue, do not let them down!"
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The Spanish coastguard source said the body of a child was recovered by the Spanish maritime rescue service and sent by helicopter to Gran Canaria, as Moroccan authorities requested their help.
The coastguard later tweeted that a second body had been found by a merchant ship, the Navios Azure.
"The dinghy had been begging for rescue in Spanish waters for more than twelve hours. Among the survivors, 24 people, 22 men, and two women, are being transferred to Cap Boujdour," Maleno of Walking Borders said on Twitter.
The islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller share trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland.
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The tragedy comes a few days after another boat carrying migrants capsized in waters off southern Greece leaving at least 78 dead and up to 500 missing.
An image shared by the Greek Coastguard showed the decks packed with people, but accounts of a large number of women and children left in the hold of the ship have come from medics who treated survivors.
One survivor, Fedi, was one of the 104 rescued and was reunited with his brother Mohammad.
The 18-year-old, from Syria, sobbed as he met his brother who came from Italy.
Nine survivors were arrested on suspicion of smuggling after the Coastguard brought in 11 suspected smugglers for questioning, describing them as Egyptian nationals.
Authorities announced 104 people - all men - had been rescued from the water following the horrifying incident.
The Italy-bound boat - thought to be carrying up to 750 people - is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya before it ran into trouble at around 2am.
So far 78 bodies have been recovered according to the coastguard, with Greece declaring a three-day mourning period.
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