More than 20 illegal North African immigrants were missing Sunday in a boat accident in the Canary Islands, Spanish officials said, dpa reported.
The immigrant boat, loaded with up to 28 people, foundered in the waters north of the Spanish tourist island of Lanzarote, about 125 kilometres off the coast of Africa.
Six of the passengers were rescued from Atlantic tidal waters. Later, the bodies of four immigrants were recovered.
The remaining passengers were missing, including several children. Rescue workers had to break off the search when darkness fell.
Thousands of Africans are believed to have died by drowning or from exposure over recent times in their desperate efforts to reach Spain.
Tighter maritime frontier controls have contributed to reducing the influx of migrants, thousands of whom nevertheless land annually on the southern coast and the Canary Islands.