At least four people were found dead on a Canary Islands tugboat on Sunday, the Spanish Red Cross said.
The bodies were recovered along with 19 survivors by the Spanish authorities of the vessel.
The migrants tried to travel the dangerous route from West Africa to the Canary Islands in a vessel that was unsuitable for open sea.
Rescue services responded to an alarm call from a fishing boat that found the boat just 20 km south of the small island of El Hierro.
Helicopters brought those suffering from severe conditions and dehydration to the island of Tenerife by helicopter.
In recent years, the Atlantic crossing from the west coast of Africa to the Canary Islands of Spain has become an important passage for undocumented migrants and refugees.
There were record arrivals in 2020, more than eight times higher than in 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic flattened the tourism economy in Africa and forced many more to undertake the risky journey.
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, hundreds have died or gone missing in their attempt to reach the archipelago in overcrowded and ill-equipped boats.
Since 2014, the Missing Migrants Project reports that more than 20,000 migrants have died to reach Europe from Africa.
According to Al Jazeera, from January 1 to March 31 this year, about 3,400 migrants arrived on the shores of the Canary Islands.
With Post threads