One person has died and two remain missing after an overcrowded boat carrying dozens of migrants sank off the coast of the Canary Islands.

       In the early hours of Wednesday morning, February 12, 75 people were rescued by the Salvamar Acrux vessel, eight of which needed medical assistance.

       The cayuco, a type of wooden canoe, was intercepted while carrying 79 people roughly 12 miles south of El Hierro, an emergency services spokesperson confirmed.

       The very same night, Spanish Maritme Rescue services carried out for operations in waters off the Canary Islands, rescuing over 300 people.

       Most of the migrants coming to the popular islands are doing so from West Africa, undertaking one of the most dangerous crossings in the world.

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       Known as the Atlantic Route, it has daprture points in Senegal, The Gambia, Morocco and Mauritania.

       In 2024, a record 46,843 people reached the Canary Islands by sea, and in the past weekend alone, over 300 were rescued.

       Maritime services intercepted five boats of the coasts of Gran Canaria and El Hierro on February 8 and 9. One boat was carrying 64 people from Sub-Saharan Africa, including eight children and one woman.

       After reaching the islands, the migrants were helped by the Red Cross, who found seven needed to be taken to hospital with dehydration, hypothermia and infections after prolonged contact with dirty water.

       A rubber dinghy was also discovered around 50 miles south east from Gran Canaria, carrying 59 people also from Sub-Saharan Africa, including five women.

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       Another wooden boat carrying 60 people was rescued 50 miles from El Hierro was intercepted by rescue services, who then discovered two more boats.

       The Canary Islands are trying to manage the influx of migrants and their biggest challenge is the number of unaccompanied minors. As a result, there has been a significant expansion in the number of shelters and care facilities for children.

       The regional government is also trying to change Spanish law to allow the mandatory transfer of unaccompanied minors to other areas with more capacity to look after them.

       There is now mounting political pressure and ongoing debates regarding the distrubtion of migrants across Spain, as some areas are more willing to accept them than others.