SPAIN:NINE CHILDREN, all under four years old, and six adults are believed to have died this week as they tried to reach the coast of southern Spain.
The 33 sub-Saharan Africans who were picked up late on Tuesday night told rescuers how they had been forced to throw the bodies of 14 women and children, many of them members of their own families, into the sea after they perished during their perilous journey.
The crew of a yacht spotted a small overcrowded boat drifting about 40km off the coast of Almeria on Tuesday afternoon. They alerted the Civil Guard who intercepted the fragile craft and picked up the survivors.
They said they had been drifting for five days after the outboard motor of their six-metre Zodiac rubber boat broke down shortly after they left the coast of Africa, leaving them without food or drinking water.
A 15th victim died on board the rescue boat before it reached land.
Only one child, a 12-month old baby, survived the crossing. Doctors said he was suffering from burns, a high fever and breathing difficulties, and described his condition as "critical" .
Seven other survivors, including three pregnant women, were admitted to hospital in a serious condition, also suffering from dehydration and burns caused by exposure to sun, salt water and fuel oil. One of the women is believed to have lost the baby she was expecting.
Red Cross officials said all the survivors were in a very weak condition, badly dehydrated and unable to stand when they were brought ashore.
Psychologists and social workers are assisting them in an immigrants' centre in Almeria. There is particular concern for those who have lost their children and immediate family.
Francisco Vicente, the head of the Red Cross rescue team, described the operation as one of the most dramatic and distressing rescues he had ever undertaken.
The latest drownings come just two days after a similar tragedy when 14 Nigerians drowned and 23 were rescued some 80km off the coast near Granada, when coastguards received a message that a small boat had capsized in heavy seas.
A large air-sea rescue team patrolled the area and recovered the survivors from the water, but called off the rescue after 24 hours when it was decided that none of the others, including women and children, could have survived the rough seas and cold water.