Inside the search for African migrant boats in distress

EVERY hour is crucial when searching for distressed West African migrant boats in the Atlantic, where the long route and harsh weather easily spell disaster, a nonprofit that conducts aerial surveillance said during a recent mission.

- AFP

A CARGO vessel sails along the route between West Africa and the Canary Islands during an aerial monitoring mission led by the Humanitarian Pilot Initiative (HPI). Migrants leaving west Africa and traveling up the Atlantic are usually trying to reach Europe by first landing in the Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. | AFP

(AFP)

The recent mission saw Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI) racing to locate several missing pirogues -- long, rickety canoes -- that had left The Gambia but never showed up at their final destination.

The mission: search an area larger than Switzerland, from hundreds of metres (yards) in the air, with an aim of rendering aid before it is too late.

"People could be dead or dying from dehydration, heat stroke or any other conditions," pilot Omar El Manfalouty said.

Migrants departing from west Africa and travelling up the Atlantic are usually trying to reach Europe via the Canary Islands off northwest Africa.

The Spanish archipelago is the jumping off point for their continued journey onward to the European continent.

With many recent departures taking place from further south in The Gambia and Guinea, migrants are now spending longer at sea and facing more hardships.