Boat refugees rescued from sea near Mallorca | Abroad

Initially, authorities reported that several dead had been recovered, but they later reconsidered. The refugees appear to be African migrants who were en route in a rickety boat, Spanish media reported.

The Coast Guard launched a rescue operation after a tip by a sailboat crew. The survivors report that 17 people were said to have been on board.

A growing number of migrants are trying to reach Spanish islands or the Spanish mainland by boat. The Coast Guard rescued hundreds of people last week. This year alone, at least a thousand people have died traveling by sea to Spanish territory, especially to the Canary Islands, but also increasingly to the Balearic Islands, such as Mallorca. The International Organization for Migration already spoke of “the deadliest year on the migration route to Spain.”

—