Migrant boat found off Canary Islands, 83 feared dead

A migrant boat carrying 127 people, which departed Gambia on August 7, 2026, was found adrift off the coast of Gran Canaria, Spain, with 44 survivors and at least five bodies on board. Eighty-three people, including women and an infant, are feared dead after the vessel spent 26 days at sea. Spanish maritime rescue services located the makeshift boat approximately 120 kilometers (70 miles) southwest of Gran Canaria on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Rescuers found five bodies aboard the vessel, but adverse weather conditions, including winds of 20 knots and waves of up to 2.5 meters, prevented their immediate recovery. The five bodies were left on board due to rough seas. The 44 survivors, all men of sub-Saharan origin, were rescued and brought ashore at the port of Arguineguín in the early hours of Thursday, September 3, 2026. Three individuals in critical condition were airlifted to hospitals on Gran Canaria. The survivors, identified by the Red Cross as being from Mali and Senegal, reported that provisions ran out quickly, leading some to drink seawater and fall ill.