Luxury Cruise Ship Saves Dozens Of Migrants Towards Spanish Canaria, 5 Dead

JAKARTA - The luxury yacht saved dozens of migrants trying to reach the Canary Islands, Spain, with fishing boats stopped at a violent sea and killed five people.

As reported by Reuters on Thursday, June 20, the Canarial Islands have been the main entrance to Spain for illegal migrants from Africa in recent years, and the route is also the deadliest.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders said nearly 5,000 migrants were killed at sea on the route in the first five months of 2024.

The aircraft carrier Philipp Oldendorff saw the ship floating 440 nautical miles (815 km) south of Tenerife Island on Wednesday, June 19 and providing first aid to migrants.

Meanwhile, the Insignia cruise ship was diverted to the area to pick up survivors.

Insignia, which is owned by Miami-based Oceania Cruises, also found three bodies from the ship. But bad weather prevented the discovery of two other bodies so the ship left a location search tool to facilitate search.

This luxury yacht with a capacity of 670 passengers traveled 180 days around the world starting in January.

The safety of marine life is very important for all sailors, said Oceania Cruises spokesman, owned by Norway Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH).

"We can confirm that Insignia rescued 68 people from the ship experiencing difficulties between Tanjung Verde and Tenerife, bringing them to the ship for medical assistance and providing food, drinks, clothing, and a safe place to rest," the spokesman added.