Spanish coastguard hunts for 50 missing Africans

Madrid, July 19: The Spanish coastguard was searching today for about 50 African migrants whose wooden boat capsized as they neared the end of a dangerous voyage to the Canary Islands, officials said.

Coastguard boats picked up 48 of the Africans after their narrow boat overturned about 89 miles southwest of the resort island of Tenerife, a representative of Spain's central government on the islands said.

Two merchant ships joined four coastguard vessels, a helicopter and a plane in the search after the boat overturned early on Thursday in heavy seas, the official said.

Authorities believe thousands of Africans died last year attempting to reach the Canaries, hundreds of miles from the African coast, but most disappeared at sea without trace.

REUTERS >