Two people die on migrant boat off Canary Islands

STORY: Two people have died as they attempted to reach the Canary Islands, the Spanish maritime rescue service said on Tuesday (March 12).

They were travelling on a pirogue - a type of dugout canoe - with 40 migrants on board.

Four others have been evacuated by helicopter to hospital in a serious condition, the service said, after the vessel was spotted on Monday (March 11) evening.

The remaining 34 survivors included 27 men and seven women of sub-Saharan origin, a spokesperson said, without giving details of where the boat had started its voyage.

According to the EU border agency Frontex, the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands is the busiest for irregular migration from West Africa to the European Union.

A total of 11,932 irregular migrants reached the Canary Islands between January 1 and February 29 this year, according to Spanish Interior Ministry data.

That's compared to 1,865 for the same period in 2023, and represents a more than six-fold increase.

Sea conditions around the Canary Islands have been challenging for navigation in the past week, with the state weather agency issuing several alerts over ocean swells.