At least 6,618 migrants crossing to Spain announced dead or missing
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In 2023, 6,618 migrants traveling to Spain by sea disappeared or died, including 384 children, according to Walking Borders.
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Migrants stand at the Arguineguin port in Gran Canaria island, Spain, after being rescued in the Atlantic Ocean by emergency workers on Thursday, October 12, 2020. (AP)
As Spain saw an influx of migrants trying to reach its lands by sea, almost 7,000 of them died or vanished in the process, a Spanish migrants rights group said.
In 2023, 6,618 migrants traveling to Spain by sea disappeared or died, including 384 children, according to Walking Borders, which collects data from migrants' families and official rescue statistics. 6,007 of the complete toll met their fates on the Atlantic migration route from Africa to Spain's Canary Islands.
For reference, this signifies a tripled increase from the year before, an all-time high record of 2,390 migrants.
The seven islands, including the Canary, have been a target destination for people escaping poverty in Africa, but their journeys have seen hazards resulting from overcrowded vessels that are not adequately packed with sustenance, and stricter control in the Mediterranean.
Commenting on the matter, Helena Maleno, head of the migrants' rights organization, said "The Atlantic route has become the deadliest route in the world," and revealed that the insufficient resources available to rescuers in the face of the rising number of crossings to Spain have majorly allowed such tragedies to occur.
56,852 migrants have mobilized to Spain in 2023, almost double since last year, and the highest number recorded since 2018's 64,298.
The IOM's efforts
The central Mediterranean is not devoid of danger either, with the International Organization of Migration revealing that 2023 ended with at least 2,383 deaths on its routes.
108 migrants died or are missing in 4 shipwrecks off the Libyan coast btw Christmas & New Year.
— IOM EU Office (@IOMatEU) January 9, 2024
2023 ended with at least 2,383 deaths on the Central Mediterranean.
2024 began with a shipwreck, 35 fatalities off the coast of Zwara.#EndMigrantDeaths now! https://t.co/FqM780G8ya
The organization previously consistently noted that if prompt and effective assistance to migrants was provided, many deaths on migration routes to Europe could have been prevented.
Therefore, the IOM urged European countries and other regions to take urgent measures to save lives and reduce deaths during migration travel by giving priority to search and rescue on land and at sea, and ending the criminalization of non-governmental organizations that provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress.
Read more: Morocco puts African migrants on trial after deadly Melilla massacre
