A tragic incident occurred early Saturday morning when a migrant boat sank near the Spanish island of El Hierro.
As per Reuters, around 48 people are currently missing and nine individuals have been confirmed dead, including a child aged between 12 and 15.
This incident could potentially become the deadliest in 30 years of crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands.
Rescuers successfully saved 27 of the 84 passengers attempting to reach the Spanish coast.
The nine deceased migrants are scheduled for burial on Monday and Tuesday.
According to Spanish authorities, those on board were from Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal.
Three patrol boats and three helicopters were involved in a renewed search for the missing on Sunday, according to a spokesman from the Spanish coastguard.
A spokeswoman for the Canary Islands government told Reuters, "Unfortunately we presume the worst. The search goes on but it seems that the chances of finding someone alive are slim."
The boat sank during the rescue operation, with adverse wind and visibility conditions complicating the effort.
It is pertinent to note here that the deadliest shipwreck recorded in 30 years of crossings to the islands occurred in 2009 off Lanzarote, claiming 25 lives.
