On Thursday, a luxury cruise ship rescued more than sixty migrants who were trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands on a fishing vessel that was stranded in rough waters.

Six people were killed in the incident.

In recent years, the archipelago became the main entry point to Spain for illegal immigrants from Africa. It is also the most dangerous route. Walking Borders, a migration rights group, said last week that 5,000 migrants had died at sea along that route in the first five months 2024.

The bulk carrier Philipp Oldendorff saw the boat drifting 440 nautical mile (815 km), south of Tenerife, on Wednesday. It provided the first aid to the migrants. Meanwhile, the Insignia Cruise Ship was diverted into the area to rescue the survivors.

Three bodies were also recovered from the Insignia by Oceania Cruises of Miami. The ship was unable to recover two more bodies due to bad weather, so it left a device that would facilitate the search.

A small luxury cruise ship, with 670 passengers on board, is currently on a 180-day journey around the globe that began in January.

A spokesperson for Oceania Cruises (owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings) said that "safety at sea is paramount for all seafarers."

The spokesperson said: "We can confirm the Insignia saved 68 people who were on a ship in distress between Cape Verde, Tenerife and the Canary Islands. They were brought aboard for medical attention and given food, drink, clothing, and a place to rest."

On Thursday, a Spanish coast guard ship was on its way from the Canary Islands to the Insignia in order to locate the shipwreck. Reporting by Emma Pinedo; editing by Andrei Khalip; Frances Kerry, Rod Nickel and Rod Nickel.