More than 30 individuals died from hunger and thirst on the boat rescued this Wednesday by a cruise ship 800 kilometres south of Canary Islands during the 21 days they spent in the Atlantic, the last 17 adrift, as recounted by the survivors to emergency services.
Upon the arrival of the Insignia cruise ship at Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, several of the 67 survivors informed healthcare providers that there were “over 100 people” when they departed on May 30 towards the Canary Islands from Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, as reported to EFE by the officials of the operation.
This implies that at least 33 individuals perished during the voyage, of which only four bodies have been recovered, in addition to the two that remained on board the boat during the rescue, as reported by the cruise ship captain to Maritime Rescue. The remaining victims were thrown into the sea by their companions.
The number, however, could be much higher, as the Caminando Fronteras group believes that the data from this boat matches an alert provided to the Spanish authorities about a departure on May 30 from Nouakchott.
On the boat that this NGO warned of its departure were 150 individuals, including nine women and an unspecified number of children. If this is the same boat, the death toll would rise to 83.
The survivors clarified in their testimonies that they were adrift by the fourth day of sailing, as the engine broke down.
The vast majority arrived on land very weak, despite the care they received on board the Insignia for almost 30 hours, a luxury cruise ship en route from Cape Verde to Tenerife, on a round-the-world trip and whose crew provided them with food, water, clean and dry clothes, and even medical care.
According to the Red Cross and 112, 64 required medical assistance at the dock, of whom five were transferred to the hospitals of Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria and Universitario de Canarias showing signs of dehydration. One of them in critical condition.
The group of survivors includes three women and three young children, aged between seven and ten years old.
Their boat was sighted Wednesday afternoon by an oil tanker en route to Brazil, which could not take them aboard but provided initial assistance and alerted Maritime Rescue to send the cruise ship to their location.
