50 migrants reported missing, 9 rescued after their vessel capsizes off Spanish Atlantic island

About 50 migrants were missing after their boat capsized south of Spain’s Canary Island of El Hierro in the Atlantic Ocean, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

According to the news agency, 60 of the migrants had set sail nine days ago and ran into problems on Saturday. It added that the exact number of people on the boat is unknown.

State news agency Efe revealed that the migrants are of sub-Saharan origin, but did not specify their country of origin.

Tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan countries attempt to reach Spain each year by boat, fleeing poverty, conflict and instability in West Africa, with many dying during the hazardous journey.

According to the Interior Ministry, 16,621 migrants arrived in Spain by boat between Jan. 1 and April 15, up by 11,681 in the same period last year. The vast majority arrived on the Canary Island route.