Nearly 2200 Migrants Died Trying to Reach Spain this Year

A MIGRATION NGO has said that almost 2200 migrants died while trying to reach Spain this year, with the majority perishing en route to the Canary Islands.

Caminado Frontera, a migration NGO, blamed a “dismantlement of rescue services” and a “lack of coordination” between Spain and its African allies for the huge death toll. A total of 2170 migrants died en route to the Spanish coast since January, a dramatic rise from 893 in 2019. Over 85% of deaths, 1851, were the results of 45 boat wrecks on the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands.

The archipelago has seen a massive spike in migrants this year, which experts say is due to increased patrols on the Meditteranean causing boats to take to the Atlantic to reach the shores of Europe. Spain’s Interior Ministry says that 19,566 migrants arrived in the Canaries this year, up from 1993 in 2019. This massive influx has strained the authorities of the islands, with migrants forced to live in large camps due to inadequate facilities.

The fastest route from Morocco to the Canaries is a 100km stretch of the Atlantic that is fraught with danger due to strong currents. Caminado Frontera said that Spain has not collaborated sufficiently with Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal in their shared efforts to deter migrants from attempting the perilous crossing.

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