More than 10,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea this year, according to a report released Thursday by a Spanish immigrant rights group.
On average, that means 30 migrants died every day this year trying to reach the country by boat, Caminando Fronteras said. Total deaths increased by 58 percent compared to last year, the report added.
Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the African coast that has increasingly been used as a springboard to mainland Europe.
Caminando Fronteras said that most of the 10,457 deaths recorded until December 15 occurred at that crossing, the so-called Atlantic route, considered one of the most dangerous in the world.
The organization compiles its figures from migrant families and official statistics of those rescued. Among the dead were 1,538 children and 421 women. April and May were the deadliest months, according to the report.
Caminando Fronteras also noted a “strong increase” in 2024 in ships leaving 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 it combat human traffickers and stop ships from taking off.
Spain's Interior Ministry says more than 57,700 migrants arrived in Spain by boat as of December 15 this year, an increase of about 12 percent from the same period last year. The vast majority of them arrived via the Atlantic route.
© 2024 The Canadian Press