The boat was sighted by a merchant vessel located 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers or 87 miles) south of Gran Canaria on Monday evening.
Four individuals in critical condition were airlifted to a hospital via two helicopters, while the remaining 34 survivors, including seven women, were transported to the port of Arguineguín by boat, according to Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service.
Spanish authorities are facing ongoing challenges as they deal with a surge of migrants and refugees from West Africa who are arriving at the archipelago, utilising it as a gateway to continental Europe.
In the first two months of the year, nearly 12,000 individuals escaping poverty, conflict, and instability in West Africa arrived in the Canaries, as reported by Spain’s Interior Ministry.
This figure represents more than six times the number of arrivals compared to the same period last year.
The majority of migrants embark on their journey from the coast of Mauritania aboard artisanal fishing boats, locally referred to as pirogues. Navigating against strong winds and Atlantic currents, they endure several days at sea.
Although thousands successfully complete the perilous voyage, many perish or go missing during the journey, with some of their remains occasionally washing up on the shores of the other side of the Atlantic.
Last week, authorities discovered two pirogues adrift hundreds of miles away from Cape Verde, the archipelago nation, after departing from Mauritania bound for Spain.
Eleven survivors were rescued from one boat, and five others from the second, although one person later succumbed. Additionally, five bodies were recovered, and dozens more were feared lost at sea.