Madrid (Web Desk/Agencies): A heartbreaking tragedy has unfolded as up to 50 migrants, believed to have been traveling from West Africa in an attempt to reach Spain, are feared to have drowned.
According to reports, the boat they were on set sail from Mauritania on January 2, carrying 86 people, including a significant number of 66 Pakistanis.
As per the human rights organization Walking Borders, 36 survivors were rescued by Moroccan authorities on Wednesday, but it’s feared many others perished during the perilous journey.
The group, which operates out of Madrid and Navarra, had raised alarms about the missing vessel six days prior, alerting all relevant authorities in the region.
Alarm Phone, an NGO that assists migrants in distress at sea, also contacted Spain’s maritime rescue service on January 12, but the service reported having no information regarding the boat.
In a response to the disaster, Fernando Clavijo, the regional leader of the Canary Islands, expressed his condolences and called for immediate action from both Spain and Europe.
Through a message on the social media platform X, he described the Atlantic Ocean as a “graveyard” for those attempting to flee Africa and emphasized that the ongoing humanitarian crisis demands urgent attention.
Walking Borders’ CEO Helena Maleno shared further details, revealing that 44 of the presumed victims were from Pakistan and that the migrants had endured 13 days of suffering on the high seas with no intervention from rescue teams.
This devastating incident is part of a broader pattern of migrant deaths in the region.
In 2024 alone, more than 10,400 people lost their lives while attempting to reach Spain, primarily by attempting the dangerous Atlantic route from countries like Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary Islands.
