Priest mourns 83 migrants feared dead off Canary Islands

Father Peter Konteh, the Executive Director of Caritas Freetown and President of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa, expressed grief over the suspected deaths of at least 83 migrants off the Canary Islands. The victims, including women and an infant, are believed to have died from sickness, dehydration, and hunger after drinking seawater while aboard a boat that drifted for 27 days.

Spanish Maritime Rescue teams located the vessel on Wednesday, September 2, finding 44 survivors from Sub-Saharan Africa and five bodies. The boat originally carried 127 people from West Africa toward Europe. Father Konteh noted that the migrants left home seeking better lives but instead met their deaths at sea.

Father Konteh appealed to African and European governments, developed nations, and Africans living abroad to address the conditions that drive young people toward smugglers and overcrowded boats. He also addressed those facilitating these dangerous journeys to Europe and America.