A sea rescue vessel returned to the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria today with four dead bodies and one survivor from an inflatable boat that is reported to have been carrying 34 migrants. 29 are missing and presumed to be dead.
The bodies and a single survivor were recovered by a merchant vessel yesterday, along with the boat that had carried the migrants. A marine rescue boat transferred them to Las Palmas.
The only survivor, a 27-year-old Ivorian man, said the boat had left the African coast nine days ago, meaning that it had been at sea throughout the passage of tropical storm Hermine. The boat had lost its bearings during the storm and had been adrift since then, far to the south of the usual migration routes.
The survivor was admitted to hospital for hypothermia.
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