Up to 50 people on small boat bound for Canary Islands feared drowned

Migration NGO says at least 10,457 people died while trying to reach Spain by sea last year

As many as 50 people are thought to have died after a boat bound for the Canary Islands got into difficulties after a 13-day voyage along the perilous Atlantic migration route from west Africa.

The migration NGO Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said the boat set off from Mauritania on 2 January carrying 86 people. It said it alerted the Moroccan and Spanish authorities after receiving reports that the boat was trouble, and that Moroccan rescuers had managed to save 36 people. But 50 of those onboard, most of them from Pakistan, are feared drowned.