A tragic incident involving migrants attempting to reach Spain from West Africa may have claimed the lives of up to 50 people, including 44 Pakistanis, according to the migrant rights group Walking Borders.
The group reported on Thursday that the boat, which departed from Mauritania on January 2, carried 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people from the boat on Wednesday.
The migrants were part of a larger wave attempting to make the perilous journey across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands.
Walking Borders, based in Madrid and Navarra, revealed that the boat had gone missing for days before the alarm was raised.
Six days ago, the group had informed authorities in all involved countries about the boat’s disappearance.
The non-governmental organization Alarm Phone, which helps migrants lost at sea, also contacted Spain’s maritime rescue service on January 12, but the service reportedly had no information about the boat.
Walking Borders has documented a record number of deaths in 2024, with 10,457 migrants—roughly 30 per day—dying while attempting to reach Spain, mostly along the Atlantic route from West African countries like Mauritania and Senegal.
The Canary Islands, a key destination for many migrants, have become a major site of this deadly migration route.
Helena Maleno, CEO of Walking Borders, shared on social media that 44 of the victims were from Pakistan, describing the ordeal as a 13-day journey of suffering and anguish with no rescue assistance.
The tragedy has sparked outrage from both local officials and humanitarian groups.
Fernando Clavijo, the regional leader of the Canary Islands, expressed his deep sorrow and called on Spain and Europe to take urgent action to prevent further loss of life.
“The Atlantic cannot continue to be the graveyard of Africa,” Clavijo said on social media platform X, urging international leaders to address the growing humanitarian crisis.
