The Spanish Civil Guard discovered a drifting boat with at least 80 dead migrants on board, including a baby

Spanish authorities have discovered, near the Canary Islands, a boat that had been drifting for 26 days. At least 80 deceased people, including a baby, were found on board in one of the most tragic cases on the Atlantic Ocean migration route.

The Civil Guard stated that the boat most likely departed from Gambia, according to the inscriptions identified on its hull. The vessel was found off the coast of the Spanish archipelago, and authorities are carrying out checks to establish the exact route and the identities of the victims.

The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands is one of the most dangerous routes used by migrants to reach Europe. Improvised boats frequently depart from Gambia, Senegal, Morocco, or Mauritania and can remain at sea for weeks at a time, without sufficient food and water.

Thousands of people attempt this crossing each year, despite the rescue operations conducted by the coast guard. Shipwrecks and deaths recorded along this route remain frequent, and many boats are reported missing, with the victims never recovered.