The occupants of the boat, who numbered 62 in total, had been adrift in the Atlantic for at least a week.
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Seven migrants were found dead aboard a sinking boat off the Spanish island of Gran Canaria in the Atlantic on Saturday (November 13th), Spanish rescue services announced on Sunday. An eighth died on the ground. The occupants of the boat, who numbered 62 in total, had been adrift for at least a week. The boat was spotted by a French sailboat around 6 p.m. local Saturday, some 38 miles south of the island, said the Maritime Rescue.
Three were transported by helicopter for emergency treatment, while several others were taken to hospital after arriving overnight from Saturday to Sunday at the port of Arguineguin in Gran Canaria. That same night, another boat carrying 36 migrants was located 8 miles south of Gran Canaria and brought back to Arguineguin.
A total of 32,713 immigrants arrived by sea in Spain between January and October, 24.2% more than over the same period in 2020, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior. According to estimates at the end of September by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2021 was the deadliest year on the migration route to Spain, with at least 1,025 dead.