BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tragedy struck a boatload of migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa at the very end of their journey when their boat capsized within reach of the shore of Spain's Canary Islands on Wednesday.

Four women and three girls drowned in the chaotic scene in El Hierro's port, while survivors clung to ropes and life preservers tossed by rescuers.

Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) from shore, said the boat keeled over as rescuers started removing minors onto a rescue craft that was positioned between the migrant craft and the quay.

The movement of people on the boat caused it to tip and then turn over, dumping the occupants into the water, the service said.

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said four women, a teenage girl and two younger girls perished in the accident. One of the girls was found by a rescue diver.

“The drama witnessed on El Hierro should move us all, (those) lives were lost in an attempt to find a better future,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Twitter.

A helicopter evacuated two more children, a girl and a boy, to a local hospital in serious condition after they nearly drowned, the service added.

Local media reports said the small boat appeared to be packed with over 100 people. Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross pulled people out of the water.

Fernando Clavijo, regional president for the Canary Islands, said that there were people trapped inside a part of the boat who “wouldn’t get out.”

The Spanish archipelago located off Africa’s western coast has for years been a main route for migrants who risk their lives in dinghies and rubber boats unfit for long journeys in the open sea. Thousands have been known to die on the way to European territory.

Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, surpassing previous records for a second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania.

The arrivals include thousands of unaccompanied minors.

Some 10,800 people had arrived via the Atlantic to the Canary Islands by mid-May, which was down by 34% compared to the same period in 2024.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025