The NGO Caminando Fronteras alerted the Spanish authorities this Wednesday that 61 migrants aboard an inflatable boat are asking for help north of Lanzarote. This boat would have departed from Tan Tan in Morocco during the early hours of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Maritime Rescue has stated to La Voz that they are searching for the ship, but that "they do not know where it is."
The spokesperson for Caminando Fronteras, Helena Maleno, has reported through her official Twitter account that "we woke up with a boat sinking on its way to the Canary Islands." She added that a total of 61 people are traveling on it, including twelve women and four babies, "who need an urgent rescue."
🔴We woke up with a boat sinking on its way to the Canary Islands. There are sixty-one people traveling on it, including twelve women and four babies, who need an urgent rescue.
— Helena Maleno Garzón (@HelenaMaleno) April 19, 2023
The spokesperson for the group, Helena Maleno, explained to EFE that the occupants of the zodiac could call a family member on land to warn that one of the two floats of the boat had been punctured and they were "in panic", because they fear sinking.
The NGO has managed to contact them and obtain approximate coordinates of their position. "We have transferred them to the rescue services and we hope that they will coordinate quickly so that there is no loss of human lives," added Maleno.
A Salvamento spokesperson has indicated that operations are being coordinated in the area with the Moroccan rescue services in the face of warnings that remain north of the Spanish area of responsibility.
