Canary Islands: two-year-old migrant dies after being rescued

A two-year-old Malian girl who was rescued aboard a migrant boat off the Canary Islands died in hospital on Sunday, authorities said.

The child was one of 52 African passengers rescued on Tuesday aboard a boat near the island of Gran Canaria, who had been transferred by Spanish maritime rescue to the port of Arguineguin.

Rescuers handed over the unconscious child to Red Cross nurses who had done everything possible to keep her alive on the port quay, according to images broadcast on Spanish television.

She was then rushed to a hospital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of Gran Canaria, where she died on Sunday, a spokesperson for the regional government's health department said.

Local media reported that the child, who was accompanied by her mother and older sister, suffered cardiac arrest due to severe hypothermia during the crossing.

The Canaries are an important entry point for migrants trying to reach Europe.

In 2020, a total of 23,023 migrants landed in the archipelago, eight times more than in 2019. More than three thousand migrants have landed in the Canaries since the start of the year, twice as many as last year in the same era.