Canaries: twenty Harraga dead

A new drama of illegal immigration on the Spanish Canary Islands, made a score of deaths, including 14 children and adolescents during the sinking of a boat near the island of Lanzarote, announced Monday the regional authorities.

•     A boat used by "illegal emigrants" to rally the Canary Islands coast from North Africa capsized for unknown reasons Sunday evening on a rock a few meters from shore, near Arrecife, the capital of this tourist island.
  
      According to the testimony of one of the survivors, the boat of modest size - six on seven meters long - was occupied by 28 immigrants, including many children and several women.
  
      Six were rescued by surfers who were on a beach nearby, according to spokeswoman of the prefecture of the Canaries.
  
      When they saw the boat capsize, surfers took their plate "to save the people o into the water, she said.
  
      These experienced surfers had heard the screams and cries for help of immigrants who fell into the water, according to testimony released Monday by the newspaper El Pais.
  
      The inhabitants of the area have also tried to bring relief, throwing buoys to those who drown a few meters from the shore but on an area difficult to access.
  
      Among the survivors, five were suffering from hypothermia treated in hospital Monday while another was heard by the police.
  
      After the shipwreck, search operations have reduced first five lifeless bodies Sunday evening. Then 14 new bodies were removed from the water Monday. Among victims, 14 children, teenagers and two women were counted.
  
      Three people were officially reported missing Monday afternoon. But divers observed in water masses of clothing may be two new bodies.
  
      The new tragedy of immigration follows a recent increase in arrivals of illegal immigrants in the Canary Islands, aboard inappropriate boats, with the arrival Saturday of 78 illegal immigrants, including eight minors, in Tenerife. Monday, a new boat with 65 people from sub-Saharan Africa, was intercepted off the same island.
  
      The Canaries is one of the major European gateways for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb.
  
      The number of arrivals in Spain however, fell in 2008 with a total of 9181, after a peak in 2006 with 31,678 arrivals, due to increased surveillance at sea and cooperation agreements with countries of origin, mainly Morocco and Senegal.
  
      Because of this increased surveillance, illegal immigrants are forced to take more risks, taking longer routes to the Canary Islands to avoid the areas of radar coverage and patrols, which tends to increase the drama at sea.
  
      This could be the case with this boat that had not been detected by the surveillance system Canaries.
  
      There are no official statistics on the number of illegal migrants died during these voyages at sea.
  
      A report of the Andalusia organization for the defense of human rights APDH-A, was evaluated for 2007 to 921 the number of potential immigrants who died during the crossing to Spain.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.