BAMAKO/LAS PALMAS, Spain, December 27 – At least 69 migrants died on December 19 when a boat heading from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands capsized off the coast of Morocco, Malian authorities confirmed. Only 11 of the approximately 80 people on board survived, according to a statement from Mali’s Ministry of Malians Abroad on Thursday.
The ministry reported gathering details to reconstruct the incident and has established a crisis unit to monitor the situation.
The Atlantic migration route, used by African migrants seeking to reach mainland Spain, has seen a sharp increase in traffic this year. Between January and November, 41,425 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands, surpassing last year’s record of 39,910, data shows.
The surge has been attributed to ongoing conflict in the Sahel region, widespread unemployment, and the worsening effects of climate change on agricultural communities.
On Friday, another casualty was reported among 300 migrants who arrived in six boats on El Hierro, a Canary Island, according to the Red Cross.
The Atlantic route, with departure points in Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, and Morocco, has been identified as the deadliest migration corridor globally, according to the migrant aid group Walking Borders.
In a report released this week, the group recorded 9,757 migrant deaths at sea in 2024 while attempting to reach the Canary Islands. Across all routes to Spain, 10,457 people died this year, with the route departing from Mauritania accounting for 6,829 fatalities.
Walking Borders attributed the increasing death toll to limited rescue operations, restrictive immigration policies, and the criminalization of migrants.
