More than 30 migrants may have drowned after their boat sank in the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands, two charities have said.
Walking Borders and Alarm Phone said the boat was carrying around 60 people.
Spanish authorities said rescue workers found the bodies of a minor and a man, and rescued 24 other people – but did not know how many people were onboard.
The incident places fresh scrutiny on Europe’s response to migration, after a boat sank off Greece last week.
Helena Maleno Garzon, from Walking Borders, said that 39 people had drowned, including four women and a baby, while Alarm Phone said 35 people were missing.
Both organisations monitor migrant boats and receive calls from people on board or their relatives.
The boat sank about 100 miles (160km) south-east of Gran Canaria on Wednesday.
“It’s torture to have 60 people, including six women and a baby, waiting for more than 12 hours for a rescue in a flimsy inflatable boat that can sink,” Ms Garzon said.
A Spanish rescue service ship, the Guardamar Caliope, was only about an hour’s sail from the dinghy on Tuesday evening, Reuters reported, citing Spanish state news agency EFE.
The ship did not aid the dinghy because the operation had been taken over by Moroccan officials, which dispatched a patrol boat that arrived on Wednesday morning, 10 hours after it had been spotted by a Spanish rescue plane, Reuters reports.
The BBC has sent a request for comment to Morocco’s interior ministry. (BBC)
