At least 300 migrants missing near Spain's Canary Islands

(Patria) - At least 300 people who were traveling on three migrant boats from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands have gone missing, the migrant aid group Walking Borders said on Sunday.

Two boats, one with about 65 people and another with between 50 and 60 people, have been missing for 15 days since they left Senegal to try to reach Spain, Helena Maleno of Walking Borders told Reuters. A third boat left Senegal on June 27 with about 200 people on board.

Families of those on the boats have not heard from them since they left, Maleno said. All three boats departed from Kafountine in southern Senegal, which is about 1,700 kilometers from Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands.

"Families are very worried. There are about 300 people from the same area of Senegal. They left because of the instability in Senegal," Maleno said.

The Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa have become a main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller number also attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland.

Summer is the busiest period for all crossing attempts. The Atlantic migration route, one of the deadliest in the world, is usually used by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. At least 559 people, including 22 children, died in 2022 trying to reach the Canary Islands, according to data from the UN International Organization for Migration.