69 migrants killed in shipwreck off Morocco on deadly route to Spain

By Reuters
December 28, 2024
A Spanish Coast Guard vessel tows a fibreglass boat with migrants onboard to the port of Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on December 25 2024. — Reuters
A Spanish Coast Guard vessel tows a fibreglass boat with migrants onboard to the port of Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on December 25 2024. — Reuters

BAMAKO/LAS PALMAS, Spain: At least 69 people died after a boat headed from West Africa to the Canary Islands capsized off Morocco on Dec 19, Malian authorities said, as data showed deaths of migrants attempting to reach Spain surged to an all-time high in 2024.

The makeshift boat was carrying around 80 people when it capsized. Only 11 survived, the Ministry of Malians Abroad said in a statement on Thursday, after collecting information to reconstruct the incident. A crisis unit has been set up to monitor the situation, it added.

The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants trying to reach mainland Spain, has seen a surge this year, with 41,425 arrivals in January-November already exceeding last year’s record 39,910.