MADRID, Spain (AP) - Spain's Interior Ministry says a migrant has died trying to reach the Canary Island of La Gomera aboard a small, packed boat from Africa.
The ministry says residents on the southern Playa de Santiago beach spotted the boat arriving Friday morning and informed police and emergency services.
Eighty sub-Saharan Africans, including the dead man, were found crammed inside. Six are believed to be minors.
The ministry says the cause of death is not yet known. Another person is in a local hospital.
Every year thousands of African migrants risk dangerous crossings to the Canary Islands in a bid to start a new life in prosperous Europe.