Two men dead, baby critically ill after migrant boat reaches Spain’s El Hierro island

Two men were found dead aboard a migrant boat that reached Spain’s Canary Islands early on Friday after departing from Gambia, and a baby was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition, Spanish rescue services said. The vessel, carrying 113 people, was located about 37 nautical miles south of the tiny island of El Hierro after emergency services received distress calls late on Thursday. Rescuers brought 110 survivors ashore, including eight women and eight minors. The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest migration crossings. Thousands of migrants attempt the journey each year in overcrowded boats, seeking to reach Spanish territory despite rough seas, strong currents and long distances. Arrivals typically pick up in the autumn months, when sea conditions along the route are generally calmer and more favourable for crossings. Migrant arrivals have declined so far this year compared with 2025, but crossings increased sharply this month, putting additional pressure on reception and emergency services on some of the Canary Islands, particularly the smaller and less populated ones. Migrant arrivals in the archipelago fell 18% year-on-year to 11,527 people to date, according to the office of the Spanish government’s representative in the Canary Islands.