A luxury cruise ship rescued 68 migrants attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands in a fishing boat that had stalled in rough seas, as reported by Spanish authorities and Oceania Cruises on Thursday, June 20th.
Tragically, 6 individuals perished in the incident.
The Canary Islands have become a primary entry point for migrants from Africa attempting to reach Spain, with this route being notably perilous. Migration rights group Walking Borders reported last week that ~5000 migrants died at sea on this route during the first 5 months of 2024.
The bulk carrier Philipp Oldendorff initially sighted the adrift boat 440 nautical miles (815 km) south of Tenerife on Wednesday, June 19th, providing initial assistance to the migrants. Insignia ship was then diverted to the area to rescue the survivors, according to a statement by the Spanish Coast Guard.
Oceania Insignia also recovered 3 bodies from the boat. Due to adverse weather conditions, the recovery of another two bodies was not possible, so a locating device was left to aid in their retrieval.
The 670-passenger luxury ship Insignia is currently on a 180-day world voyage that commenced in January.
For more Oceania Insignia incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.