Record number of migrants lost at sea bound for Spain in 2024: NGO

More than 10,000 migrants have died while attempting to reach Spain by the sea in 2024, according to a report released by Spanish migration rights group Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), Euronews reported.

An NGO said that at least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain by sea in 2024, more than 50 per cent last year and the most since it began keeping a tally in 2007.

The 58 per cent increase includes 1,538 children and 421 women, migrant rights group Caminando Fronteras ("Walking Borders") said in a report that covers the period from January 1 to December 5, 2024. It amounts to an average of 30 deaths per day, up from around 18 in 2023.

The victims were from 28 nations, mostly in Africa, but also from Iraq and Pakistan.

Deadly route 

Most of the fatalities — 9,757 — took place on the Atlantic migration route from Africa to Spain's Canary Islands, which has received a record number of migrants for the second year in a row. Seven migrant boats landed in the archipelago on Christmas Day, Spain's maritime rescue service posted on X.

The group reported 700 deaths amongst people attempting to reach Spain via Mediterranean routes. The total number of deaths represents a 58% increase compared to the previous year, the report added.

Caminando Fronteras compiles its data based on accounts from migrant families and official statistics of those rescued. The report specified that 1,538 children and 421 women were among the deceased, with April and May identified as the year's deadliest months.

At their closest point, the Canaries lie 100 kilometres off the coast of North Africa. The shortest route is between the coastal town of Tarfaya in southern Morocco and the Canary island of Fuerteventura.

The Atlantic route is particularly deadly, with many of the crowded, poorly equipped boats unable to cope with the strong ocean currents. Some boats depart African beaches as far as 1,000 kilometres from the Canaries.

To avoid controls, smugglers sometimes take longer, more dangerous journeys, navigating west into the open Atlantic before turning north to the Canaries.

That detour brings many to the tiny westernmost island of El Hierro, which since last year has experienced an unprecedented surge in arrivals. The regional government of the Canaries says it is overwhelmed, and in October thousands of people took part in rallies in the archipelago to demand action to curb the surge in arrivals.

Agencies