Ben Pawlowski
A NEW report has laid bare the severity of the migrant crisis as it was revealed that over 5,500 migrants have died trying to reach Spain by sea so far in 2024 – equating to a death every 45 minutes.
The tragic figures formed part of ‘Monitoring the Right to Life on the Western Euro-African border’, a new report studying the migrant crisis by Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), a Spanish NGO (non-governmental organisation) which supports those living in fragile border zones.
Between January and May this year, a total of 5,504 migrants have perished on the treacherous sea crossing between Africa and Spain – that figure equates to 33 deaths a day, or one every 45 minutes.
According to the report, 4,808 of the deaths occured between the west coast of Africa and the Canary Islands – widely considered to be the world’s most dangerous migrant crossing route – with most migrants coming from poverty-stricken Mauritania.
Some 175 deaths were recorded on the route between Algeria and the Balearic Islands, 47 in the Alboran sea between Morocco and the Costa del Sol, and 24 migrants have perished in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The number of deaths represents an unprecedented rise, with 6,007 deaths recorded throughout all of 2023.
Commenting on the findings, Caminando Fronteras criticised the lack of adequate search and rescue operations, saying that ‘necessary search and rescue tools are not being activated’.
