Over 6,600 migrants died or disappeared trying to reach Spain last year

A migrants rights group has reported that at least 6,618 people died or went missing while attempting to reach Spain by sea during 2023.

This alarming figure, deemed ‘shameful,’ is nearly three times higher than the previous year’s count of 2,390 and marks the highest since the initiation of tracking by the charity Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) in 2007, as stated by its coordinator, Helena Maleno, during a news conference.

The reported total encompasses 384 children and is compiled from data provided by families of migrants who perished or disappeared, as well as official rescue statistics. Maleno attributed the surge in migrant casualties to a deficiency in resources for rescuers.

Approximately half of the incidents involved migrants departing from Senegal, where political instability, job scarcity, escalating food prices, and depleting fish stocks have propelled thousands to flee. The majority of fatalities, amounting to 6,007, occurred on the Atlantic migration route from Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands.

As control measures have tightened in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands emerged as a preferred destination for individuals fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa, often aboard overcrowded and barely seaworthy vessels lacking sufficient provisions for the journey.

Maleno emphasised that the Atlantic route has become the world’s deadliest. The number of migrants arriving illegally in Spain in 2023 nearly doubled compared to the previous year, reaching 56,852, the highest since 2018. Approximately 70% of these arrivals occurred in the Canary Islands, situated just 100 kilometers from the northwest coast of Africa.

Departures on long wooden fishing vessels, known as pirogues, originated from Morocco, Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal. The direct journey from Senegal to the Canaries spans about a week of challenging sailing, covering approximately 1,600 kilometres.

To evade controls, smugglers sometimes opt for longer, riskier routes, navigating west into the open Atlantic before turning north to the Canaries. El Hierro, the westernmost island, experienced an unprecedented surge in arrivals last year.

In response to the influx, Spain’s central government has pledged a €50 million aid package for the Canary Islands. Madrid also intensified cooperation with Senegal and Mauritania to curb boat departures for the Canaries.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska claimed that this collaboration prevented over 27,000 would-be migrants from departing for Spain in the previous year, emphasising that lives were saved.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), relying on press reports and indirect accounts, reported over 1,200 migrant deaths or disappearances last year while attempting to reach Spain. However, the UN agency acknowledged that this figure is likely to be ‘considerably underestimated’ due to the challenges of documenting sea disasters, with many bodies never recovered.

🚨 El año 2023 ha sido el más mortífero en las fronteras españolas: 6.618 personas ha muerto en su intento de cruzarlas. #DerechoAlaVida2023 #VictimasFronteras2023 pic.twitter.com/XJkVO6LDRe

— Caminando Fronteras (@walkingborders) January 9, 2024