More than 10,400 migrants died or disappeared at sea while trying to reach Spain in 2024, a year marked by a record migratory influx in the Canary Islands, according to a report published Thursday by the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras.
This figure is equivalent to 30 people dying per day on average, between January and December 15 of this year, indicates this NGO in a press release, which alerts maritime authorities regarding the presence of boats in distress.
The number of deaths is 58% higher than that recorded by the NGO last year which recorded 6,618 migrants dead or missing on the migration routes to Spain. According to the report, 421 women and 1,538 children and adolescents died.
“These figures highlight a profound failure of rescue and protection systems,” said Helena Maleno, coordinator of the report, denouncing “an unacceptable tragedy”. She calls “for priority to be given to the protection of the right to life, for search and rescue operations to be strengthened, and for justice to be guaranteed for the victims and their families”.
These dead or missing migrants came from at least 28 countries, mainly African, but also came from Iraq and Pakistan. The vast majority of victims (9,757) were recorded during the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean between the northwest coasts of Africa and the Canary Islands, according to data from the NGO.
It was precisely on this route on Wednesday, Christmas Day, that seven boats were rescued, Spanish sea rescuers announced on X.
The number of migrants entering Spain irregularly via the Canary Islands has increased sharply in recent months, until at the end of November it exceeded the annual record set in 2023, according to the Ministry of the Interior. According to ministry data, 60,216 migrants landed in this Spanish archipelago between January and mid-December, compared to 52,591 for the whole of last year, an increase of 14.5%.
These massive arrivals have pushed the Canary Islands authorities to sound the alarm, saying in particular that they are incapable of managing the influx of unaccompanied minors who they must take care of in reception centers.
According to authorities, thousands of people have died in recent years trying to reach Europe by the Atlantic route from Africa, mainly via the Canaries. The frequent shipwrecks do not prevent this route from becoming more attractive, because it is less monitored than the Mediterranean route.
