Thirty-two missing in boat capsize off Spain

A woman has died and 32 are missing in the Atlantic after a small boat carrying African migrants capsized off one of Spain's …

A woman has died and 32 are missing in the Atlantic after a small boat carrying African migrants capsized off one of Spain's Canary Islands.

A survivor of the boat accident off Fuerteventura rests at a Red Cross centre in Gran Tarajal on the island today
A survivor of the boat accident off Fuerteventura rests at a Red Cross centre in Gran Tarajal on the island today

Six people were saved and rescuers were searching for more survivors off the island of Fuerteventura, a police spokeswoman said.

"It capsized because of high waves and because (the people on board) stood up," she said.

Police intercepted two other boats in the early hours of the morning. They were carrying 73 people, who were taken to shore.

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Every year thousands of people risk their lives trying to cross from Morocco to southern Spain or the Canary Islands, often in flimsy and overcrowded inflatable craft.

The number of voyages rises in the summer, when better weather makes the crossing easier.

Many of those who do arrive safely are intercepted by police and rapidly returned to their home countries. Spain has a bilateral agreement allowing it to deport Moroccans immediately.

The European Commission estimates half a million illegal immigrants flock to the prosperous bloc each year in search of a better life in addition to some 680,000 legal arrivals.