The vessel, which began its journey with four women and a baby among its occupants, was located on Wednesday afternoon by a Salvamento Marítimo plane about 120 kilometers south of Gran Canaria. At the time of the rescue, only 45 people remained alive, and five bodies were found on board.
The Guardamar Urania responded to the distress call and reached the boat around midnight. However, adverse sea conditions prevented rescuers from recovering the bodies, which remained on board. The survivors were transferred to the Arguineguín dock, where they received assistance from the Red Cross.
The Guardia Civil has confirmed to the NGO Caminando Fronteras that markings on the cayuco's hull match those of a vessel that left Gambia on August 7th with 128 occupants. The migrants told the Red Cross that they started the journey "with over a hundred people" and that many died during the crossing.
The boat remained adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for weeks, marking one of the deadliest crossings recorded on the migratory route to the Canary Islands.
