More than 5,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain, mainly via the Atlantic Ocean, during the first 5 months of the year.
An equivalent figure of 33 deaths per day, said the NGO Caminando Fronteras on Wednesday June 12, 2024.
“This is the highest daily number of deaths since records began”specifies in a press release this Spanish organization, which alerts maritime authorities concerning the presence of boats in distress on the basis of calls received by migrants.
According to Caminando Fronteras, who began collecting figures on migrant deaths in 2007, 5,054 people died between January 1 and May 31, including 154 women and 50 minors.
The vast majority of deaths (4,808) took place in the Atlantic, on the route to the Canary Islands.
This digit “is alarming compared to last year”insists the NGO, which recalls that the number of deaths since the beginning of January is close to the total victims for 2023 (6,618, or 18 deaths per day on average).
This jump in migratory tragedies comes as the number of migrants arriving illegally in Spain has almost doubled in 2023, to 56,852 people, due to an unprecedented influx into the Canary archipelago.
And this dynamic is expected to continue this year, with the latest data from the Ministry of the Interior showing 20,854 arrivals at the end of May, compared to 8,812 last year at the same time.
Spain is one of the main gateways to Europe for migrants seeking a better life.
© AFP
