Three migrants among dozens trying to reach Spain from Northwest Africa in a wooden boat died and two others were in serious condition, officials said Saturday, according to AP. A Spanish patrol ship spotted the boat, which was carrying 88 people, in the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife early Saturday, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said. The survivors were rescued, she said. Four of the migrants, whose precise point of origin was unknown, were rushed to a hospital, the spokeswoman said. Of 70 survivors in good health, nine were thought to be minors _ among them was a baby girl believed to be around 2 years old _ the spokeswoman said. Thousands of Sub-Saharan Africans try to reach Europe each year by sailing in small fishing boats from Africa to Spain's Canary Islands, one of Europe's top tourist destinations. Depending on sea and weather conditions, as well as ocean currents, the trip can last more than a week and prove deadly. Migrants who survive are detained in holding camps for 40 days and if Spanish authorities cannot identify them they are released, but without residency papers or work permits. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in November called for stronger European Union border defenses to control the influx. Spain has repeatedly called for greater resources for Frontex, an agency that patrols the EU's external border and deploys ships and aircraft off the coast of Africa to deter illegal immigration. Some rescue workers have said migrants may be heading further out into the Atlantic before aiming for the Canary Islands in a bid to avoid detection by Frontex, thus lengthening the crossing and increasing its danger.
