Aid group says ‘record number’ of people, mostly from Africa, died or disappeared
PUBLISHED : 26 Dec 2024 at 18: 45
A “cayuco” boat from Senegal with 136 migrants on board arrives after being rescued at sea by a Spanish Salvamento Maritimo (Sea Search and Rescue agency) vessel, at La Restinga port on the Canary island of El Hierro, on Nov 28, 2024. (Photo: AFP)
MADRID – At least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain by sea in 2024, a non-governmental organisation said on Thursday, nearly 60% more than last year and the most since it began keeping a tally in 2007.
The 58% increase includes 1,538 children and 421 women, migrants rights group Caminando Fronteras or Walking Borders said in a report which covers the period from Jan 1 to Dec 5, 2024.
It amounts to an average of 30 deaths per day, up from around 18 in 2023.
The group compiles its data from hotlines set up for migrants on vessels in trouble to call for help, families of migrants who went missing and from official rescue statistics.
It blamed the use of flimsy boats and increasingly dangerous routes as well as a lack of resources for rescues for the surge in deaths.
“These figures are evidence of a profound failur
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