WEB DESK: At least 50 migrants lost their lives when a makeshift boat attempting to reach Spain from West Africa capsized off the coast of Morocco, authorities have confirmed.
A vessel carrying around 86 people, including 66 Pakistanis, set sail from Mauritania on January 2, bound for Spain. After spending 13 days at sea, the boat met with disaster. While the tragedy took place last week, it was only confirmed by Mali’s Ministry of Malians Abroad on Thursday, which reported that only 11 survivors were rescued. In response, a crisis unit has been set up to assist the affected families.
This is yet another heart-wrenching incident that underscores the perilous nature of migration along the Atlantic route one of the deadliest migration pathways in the world. The route, which stretches from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, claimed more than 10,457 lives in 2024 alone, according to Spanish human rights organization Caminando Fronteras, this grim statistic reflects an average of 30 deaths per day.
Many of these migrants are fleeing dire circumstances such as poverty, political instability, and conflict in their home countries. The proximity of Morocco to Spain just 14 kilometers has made the Atlantic route a perilous but sought-after escape. For many, political and economic instability in Pakistan has pushed them to take similar risks in hopes of a better life.
Spanish rights group Walking Borders reported that as many as 50 migrants may have drowned in this incident, the organization had alerted authorities six days before the boat’s disappearance, yet Spain’s maritime rescue services reportedly had no information about the vessel’s location at the time.
