A report published by Walking Borders reveals that 2023 marked the deadliest year on record for those attempting irregular migration to Spain, with a staggering 6,618 people losing their lives. The majority of fatalities, numbering 6,007, occurred during attempts to cross the vast ocean between northwestern Africa and the Canary Islands, making it the most lethal migration route globally.
According to Walking Borders, the Interior Ministry reported that 39,910 people successfully completed the journey in 2023, representing a significant spike of 154% compared to 2022. The report emphasizes that for many of the recorded deaths, search and rescue operations were either not mobilized or were delayed to the extent that lives were put in jeopardy.
Walking Borders argues that implementing measures similar to those used to track cruise ships, fishing vessels, or other ships with Europeans on board could significantly reduce the high mortality rate. The organization estimates that 84 boats attempting to reach Spain disappeared with everyone on board in 2023.
One of the contributing factors to the exceptionally high mortality rate in 2023 was a surge in migrants chartering wooden boats from Senegal to the Canary Islands. The report estimates that 3,176 people lost their lives on this route alone. Senegalese activist Pape Sarr highlighted the political conflict and fear of reprisals as driving factors behind the youth leaving, emphasizing the lack of protection from the European Union.
Furthermore, over 1,000 people died on the even longer journey from Gambia, and 1,418 lost their lives at sea while trying to reach the Canary Islands from Morocco and the Western Sahara. Beyond the Canary Islands route, the report identifies the Algerian route through the Mediterranean as the next deadliest, with 434 victims, along with additional fatalities in the Gibraltar Strait and the Alboran Sea.
Walking Borders’ findings indicate that individuals from 17 countries lost their lives attempting to reach Spain, including victims from Africa, Palestine, Bangladesh, Syria, and Yemen.
