At least 69 migrants lost their lives in a shipwreck off the coast of Morocco while traveling to Spain

Data revealed that the number of migrants dying while trying to enter Spain reached an all-time high in 2024, and that at least 69 people perished when a boat sailing from West Africa to the Canary Islands collapsed off Morocco on December 19.

When the improvised boat overturned, about 80 people were on board. When the Ministry of Malians Abroad gathered evidence to recreate the tragedy, it claimed in a statement on Thursday that just 11 people survived.

To keep an eye on the situation, a crisis unit has been established, it continued.

African migrants traditionally travel the Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands to reach mainland Spain. This year, the number of arrivals has already surpassed last year’s record of 39,910, with 41,425 landings in January-November.

People try to cross because of the effects of climate change on farming communities, unemployment, and years of violence in the Sahel area, which includes Mali.

According to the Red Cross, 300 people landed in six boats on Friday on the Canary island of El Hierro, and one person perished.

The migrant relief NGO Walking Borders claims that the Atlantic route is the deadliest in the world, including departure sites in Senegal and Gambia, Mauritania, and Morocco.

The agency stated in its annual report this week that 9,757 migrants perished at sea in 2024 while attempting to travel from Africa’s Atlantic coast to the Spanish archipelago. The research claims that a record 10,457 individuals, or about 30 people every day, perished while trying to enter Spain this year via all routes.

With 6,829 fatalities, it was the most deadly route going from Mauritania, which has been especially popular this year among migrants fleeing the Sahel.

The increase in maritime fatalities was attributed by Walking Borders to governments “prioritizing immigration control over the right to life” and a lack of action or arbitrary rescues as well as the criminalization of migrants.