MADRID (Reuters) – The crew of a yacht plucked two bodies from waters off the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca on Monday and authorities rescued another three people floating nearby, the government said.
After recovering the bodies, the yacht’s captain alerted coastal authorities to what appeared to be nine more bodies floating in the vicinity, the central government’s delegation on Mallorca said.
However, when rescuers arrived they found only nine empty life-jackets and three people, who were flown by helicopter to the island.
Initial media reports said as many as 17 bodies had been spotted in the sea, but authorities said that was incorrect.
Crews from the Spanish coast guard and the Guardia Civil police force were searching the area for signs of a shipwreck or more victims.
The government said it had not yet been able to identify the bodies.
Migrants from North Africa often attempt the dangerous crossing using dinghy boats in search of better life in Europe.
Sea-borne migration to Spain has surged this year, with more than 27,000 people having made the crossing as of the end of September, up more than 50% from the same period last year.
Traffic along the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands accounts for the bulk of the increase, but arrivals to the Balearic Islands have also risen around 20%.
(Reporting by Nathan Allen; editing by Andrei Khalip and Dan Grebler)
