Spain’s public ombudsman has begun an investigation into why as many as 60 people stranded on an inflatable boat bound for the Canary Islands had to wait more than 12 hours to be rescued, leading to the loss of at least 35 lives, among them a child.
Passengers on the boat – which got into difficulties off the coast of Western Sahara on Tuesday afternoon – appealed for help, but a Moroccan rescue boat did not appear until the following day, when it picked up 24 people.
Two leading migrations NGOs, Walking Borders and Alarm Phone, have accused the Spanish and Moroccan authorities of failing to act quickly enough.
“Having 60 people – among them six women and a baby – waiting for rescue for more than 12 hours on an unstable inflatable boat that could sink at any moment is torture,” said Helena Maleno, who leads Walking Borders.
As audio emerged on Friday confirming that Spain’s maritime rescue service had left the rescue operation to its Moroccan counterparts, the country’s public ombudsman said he would be looking into the events of 21 June.
“We will be seeking information about the coordinated measures taken with respect to the actions carried out during the rescue operation,” his office said in a statement.
Spain’s maritime rescue service, Salvamento Marítimo, also released a statement on Friday, in which it said it had “acted in full compliance with the rules and procedures on international coordination established in regard to maritime search and rescue”.
The service said that while the boat had been located in a search-and-rescue operation shared between Spain and Morocco, it was decided that Morocco would run the rescue as the craft was 88 miles from the Canary island and just 40 miles from Laayoune, the capital of Western Sahara.
It said the boat’s position had been verified by a Salvamento Marítimo pilot who had flown over the area after a distress call was received on Tuesday and who had noted that the boat was still afloat and that there was no one in the water.
According to recordings of the pilot’s call obtained by Cadena Ser radio, he told his base in the Canaries: “It’s inside our search-and-rescue zone.” However, he was told that Morocco would take charge of the rescue because of the boat’s position.
The pilot was then ordered to return to base, as was the Spanish maritime rescue boat Guardamar Calíope, which was then about 40 miles from the inflatable boat.
After a nearby merchant vessel was diverted to the stranded boat’s location, the rescue operation was led by the Moroccan authorities, who arrived on the scene and rescued 24 people 12 hours later. The bodies of a man and a child have been recovered, but more than 30 people remain missing, presumed drowned.
In its statement, Salvamento Marítimo said the Guardamar Calíope could not help the rescue as it had just saved 63 people, some of whom required urgent treatment on land.
“As soon as the Moroccan search-and-rescue authorities took charge of coordination, Salvamento Marítimo offered its full collaboration, and dispatched a helicopter that was requested,” the service said.
“Salvamento Marítimo’s coordination centres had no information to suggest that either the boat or the migrants were in danger until the rescue operation was already under way.”
The service also noted that between 2020 and May of this year, it had rescued 6,243 people from the shared search-and-rescue area, while Morocco had rescued 3,748.
