Seven migrant women and children died metres from shore in Canary Islands

Seven migrant women and children who died when their boat capsized just metres from shore in Spain's Canary Islands were buried on Friday at the La Restringa harbour where they had hoped to find safety.

Two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old were among the dead, emergency services said. The migrant boat capsized as rescuers were escorting it to port at La Restringa on the El Hierro island on Wednesday, the services said.

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"I heard the screams and didn’t hesitate. Like any citizen faced with an emergency or an accident, I got in my car, rushed to where the boat was, and helped however I could," Javier Iglesias, a La Restringa resident, said at the funeral of the seven, which was also attended by surviving migrants.

"What really moves you and leaves an impression is when you see the faces, the expressions of those people who didn’t reach their dream, just five metres from the shore."

The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024, but the number of arrivals has fallen this year, Interior Ministry data shows.

In the first five months of 2024, 4,808 people died on the perilous Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after leaving Africa, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.