By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID (AA): Three boats carrying more than 300 irregular migrants have gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean, an official with migrant aid group Walking Borders said Sunday.

Helena Maleno, the group’s spokeswoman, said the boats left 15 days ago from Senegal for Spain’s Canary Islands.

Maleno said there were around 200 irregular migrants on one of the boats, around 65 on the second boat and 60 on the third, which reportedly departed from the village of Kafountine in southern Senegal.

She noted that the families of the migrants are concerned about their wellbeing.

While irregular migration from North Africa’s coasts to the Canary Islands has been one of the most used routes in recent years, it has been observed that the flow is higher especially in summer.

At least 559 irregular migrants died while trying to reach the Canary Islands in 2022, including 22 children, according to data from the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Walking Borders said, however, that the number of irregular migrants who lost their lives on the route last year was 1,784.

[Map of Senegal from CIA Factbook/Public Domain]