More than 10,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea this year, a Spanish immigration rights group said in a report released Thursday.
On average this year, 30 migrants have died every day trying to reach the country by boat, said Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders). The total number of deaths increased by 58 percent compared to the previous year, the report continued.
Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago near the African coast that is increasingly being used as a stepping stone to continental Europe.
Caminando Fronteras said most of the 10,457 deaths recorded as of December 15 occurred along this crossing, the so-called Atlantic route – considered one of the most dangerous in the world.
The organization collects its numbers from migrant families and official statistics on those rescued. The dead included 1,538 children and 421 women. April and May were the deadliest months, the report said.
Caminando Fronteras also recorded a “sharp increase” in 2024 in boats departing from Mauritania, which it said became the main departure point on the route to the Canary Islands.
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In February, Spain pledged 210 million euros (about $218 million) in aid to Mauritania to help the country crack down on people smugglers and prevent boats from launching.
According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, as of December 15 this year, more than 57,700 migrants reached Spain by boat, an increase of about 12 percent compared to the same period last year. The vast majority of them came via the Atlantic route.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
