SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 1st Oct (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of Tenerife has initiated a comprehensive search operation to the east and south of El Hierro to locate a drifting canoe carrying 60 migrants, as reported by sources from the organisation to Europa Press.
The alert was raised yesterday, Monday, at approximately 8:10 p.m., when the Emergency and Security Coordinating Centre (Cecoes) 1-1-2 alerted Salvamento Marítimo after receiving a phone call via the El Pinar antenna from those aboard the drifting canoe.
Maritime controllers promptly launched a search mission involving the Menkalinan sea rescuer, which operated in the area until 03:20 hours, and the Helimer 201 helicopter, which conducted operations throughout the night and returned to base at 07:20 hours.
Today, Tuesday, the search effort will consist of the Calíope sea guard, the GES helicopter from the Government of the Canary Islands, the Sasemar 103 rescue plane, the Río Ara patrol vessel of the Civil Guard, and a Red Cross boat LS-Hades, which will rotate throughout the day under the coordination of Tenerife controllers.
This ongoing operation also continues in the search for 48 migrants still unaccounted for from the cayuco shipwreck that took place early on Saturday, approximately 6 kilometres from El Hierro, in which nine bodies and 27 survivors were rescued, including four minors.
