[Shafaq News] A Spanish reconnaissance plane has found what could be a fishing vessel from Senegal... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees...
with about 200
"The plane has found a large boat with some 200 people on board, 71 miles to the south of Gran Canaria," a spokesperson for the service told Rooters, adding it was "possible" that it was the missing vessel.
A rescue ship was on its way and would take about two-and-a-half hours to reach the location, the spokesperson added.
Migrant aid group Walking Borders said on Sunday that the fishing vessel and another two boats - one carrying about 65 people and the other with between 50 and 60 on board - had been missing for about two weeks since they left Senegal to try to reach Spain.
The Spanish rescue service said that although there was only one official alert in place for the boat with 200 passengers, its plane was on the lookout for any vessels in distress.
Helena Maleno of Walking Borders said on Monday that the families of the at least 300
The condition of the
Maleno's organization had contacted authorities in Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco and Spain, urging them to search for the missing boats.
"There need to be more resources devoted to the search... A plane that flies for four hours isn't enough" for such an operation, she added.
All three boats left in late June from the village of Kafountine in Senegal's region of Cassamance, home to a decades-long insurgency and located some 1,700 km (1,057 miles) from Spain's Canary Islands. Weather conditions in the Atlantic were bad for such a voyage, Maleno said.
The Atlantic migration route, typically used by
Data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex shows 1,135