More than 80 people, including a baby, are feared to have died in a boat which was adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for 27 days.

Spanish Maritime Rescue teams located the vessel 65 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria’s coastal town of Arguineguín on Wednesday and found 44 survivors, with five dead bodies also on board.

The boat is believed to have departed The Gambia in West Africa in early August with 127 occupants on board.

Human rights activist Helena Maleno Garzón, founder of Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras, said 83 people had lost their lives.

Five migrants were found dead aboard the ‌boat. Three survivors were in a serious ​condition and were airlifted to hospital, while another 41 disembarked at the port of Arguineguin on Gran Canaria in the early hours of Thursday, Maritime Rescue said in a statement.

‘It was day 13 or 14 when people started dying’: More than 200 set sail for Europe. Only 36 survived

Helena Maleno, ​founder of Walking Borders, said on social media that survivors reported that 83 people, including three women ⁠and a baby, had died during the crossing. The boat had left ‌The ‌Gambia ​27 days earlier.

Reuters could not independently verify that figure. Maritime Rescue said it could confirm only that five bodies ⁠were aboard the vessel when ​rescuers reached it. The bodies could ​not be recovered because of adverse weather conditions.

Canary Islands regional leader, Fernando Clavijo, ‌said the tragedy underscored the need for ​a state policy on migration, especially after a deadly migrant surge in ⁠Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta ⁠in July.

“It is ​intolerable that lives continue to be lost. The Canaries cannot get used to or accept as normal the fact that the Atlantic continues to be a death trap,” he said on X.

The vessel had been spotted on Wednesday by a rescue aircraft about 65 nautical miles southwest of Arguineguin.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the ‌Canary Islands is one ⁠of the world’s deadliest migration crossings. Thousands of migrants attempt the journey each year in overcrowded boats seeking to reach Spanish territory despite ‌the risks posed by rough seas, strong currents and long distances.

The number of migrants reaching ​the Canary Islands from West Africa has fallen so far ​this year by 57.4%, according to official data. – Reuters