The Los Cocoteros tragedy has exceeded all expectations, and on Tuesday afternoon, three more bodies were found, bringing the death toll to 25, although one more body was still being searched for. After one of the survivors testified before the Judge of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 1 of Arrecife that 32 immigrants were traveling in the boat, contradicting the initial figure that was being considered, the Civil Guard divers submerged again and found the bodies of three men.
Initially, the only survivor who did not need medical assistance had stated that 27 other companions were traveling with him, which is why it was thought that all the immigrants had already been located on Tuesday at noon. But the latest testimony led the Civil Guard divers to carry out dives again and find three of the remaining bodies.
Of the 22 deceased located until noon this Tuesday, four were children between eight and eleven years old (three of them boys and one girl), two were adult women and 16 were men. Of these, only six have survived, all of them men, and one remains missing. In addition, according to judicial sources, it is also known that the boat was a small gasoline-powered boat that came from Tarfaya (Morocco) and capsized twenty meters from the coast of Los Cocoteros after hitting a rock.
From the Superior Court of Justice they also affirm that it is still to be determined if the skipper of the boat is among the bodies and there is no record of any component of the boat reaching the coast and fleeing. The Ministry of the Interior of Morocco has also requested that photographs of the 22 deceased be provided for their identification and subsequent repatriation.
Four of the survivors who had to be admitted on Sunday because they had symptoms of hypothermia and dehydration were discharged this Tuesday morning and transferred to the Civil Guard barracks in Teguise, where they will remain until they are taken to the Fuerteventura Internment Center to be repatriated later to their country, with the exception of two, who could be minors.
An unprecedented tragedy
The lifeless body of a girl of only eight years old began to give dimension this Sunday of the enormous tragedy that had docked on the coasts of Lanzarote. However, as the hours passed, the human drama grew, leaving the most serious event experienced on the island with illegal immigration.
A total of 25 dead and one missing mark the most dramatic episode of the arrival of boats to the island. Only six survived the sinking of this cayuco that had left Morocco on Saturday morning. When it seemed that the trip was over and that the odyssey had come to an end, the boat capsized after hitting a rock and the strong waves that dominated the sea on Sunday made it impossible for them to reach land. Only six managed to set foot on firm ground thanks to the rapid intervention of several neighbors who jumped into the water to help them.
Rescue keys
The Uruguayan Cristian Hunt, a local resident, was one of the key links to be able to help the immigrants. He was at home when he was alerted to the police presence on the coast and when he arrived at the place he found thirty people who were shouting and asking for help. Faced with such a panorama, Hunt jumped into the water helped by his surfboard and took the immigrants out one by one, including a minor and his father.
The young Johnatan Camarasa, also a resident in the area, contributed to the assistance of the immigrants and rescued one of those affected together with the local police of Haría and members of the National Police and the Civil Guard.
The boat had been spotted in the first place by a local police officer from Haría who had approached the coast with his vehicle. Thus, he was able to follow the trajectory of the boat until it collided with the rocks on the coast and sank, triggering the tragedy.
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