Yesterday, Friday, the sea guard ‘Calíope’ rescued a canoe with a total of 221 people, including one deceased and four seriously injured, which was completely stopped on the high seas south of the island of Tenerife and which apparently had departed from some point in the coast of Gambia, as reported by official sources from Maritime Rescue, the Red Cross and the Emergency and Security Coordinating Center (Cecoes) 1-1-2.
Specifically, 98 adult men, 5 adult women, 113 minor boys and 4 minor girls were traveling on the barge, requiring up to 23 transfers to different health centers on the island due to dehydration.
The rescue began yesterday afternoon, after a fishing boat gave the warning and the Sasemar 101 plane located the canoe stopped about 82 miles south of the municipality of Granadilla de Abona. The Maritime Rescue Center in Tenerife mobilized the sea guard ‘Calíope’ and the patrol boat ‘Río Tajo’ of the Civil Guard joined the operation.
At around 11:20 p.m. the ‘Calíope’ sea guard rescued the more than 220 people, all sub-Saharan, who were on board and reported that one person was dead and four were semi-unconscious and in serious condition. Helimer 206 was mobilized from the Center of Tenerife, which evacuated the four to the Tenerife North Airport. Two of them were referred to the Canary Islands University Hospital and two others to the Ntra. Sra. de la Candelaria University Hospital.
The sea guard ‘Calíope’, with the rest of the rescued people, headed towards the port of Los Cristianos, where around 5:25 a.m. today, Saturday, it began its disembarkation. Once on land, they received assistance from the staff of the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) and Red Cross volunteers. Eleven people had to be referred to the Hospital del Sur, two of whom were later transferred to the La Candelaria Hospital as their prognosis worsened, and another eight were taken to the Hospitén Sur University Hospital. All transfers were carried out by SUC ambulances.
