Migrant corpses found off Spain with hands, feet tied

MADRID: Spanish authorities have launched an investigation after discovering several dead migrants in the Mediterranean Sea whose hands and feet had been tied, police said on Monday.

Although most of the tens of thousands of Europe-bound migrants Spain receives arrive via the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, hundreds attempt the shorter crossing from north Africa to the Balearic archipelago in the Mediterranean.

According to regional daily Diario de Mallorca, since mid-May Civil Guard boats have spotted at least five bodies with their feet and hands bound. The newspaper quoted investigators as saying that the migrants may have been tied up and thrown into the sea during the crossing, potentially due to a dispute with their smugglers.