In the first five months of this year, it has been found that more than five thousand migrants have died while reaching Spain by sea. This figure is equivalent to 33 deaths per day, according to the Spanish charity Cominando Fronteras.
“This is the highest daily death toll since records began”, Fronteras said, adding that “this number has risen alarmingly compared to last year.” The organization started collecting data in the year 2007.
A total of 5,054 people including 154 women and 50 minors have died in just five months and this has reached the total number of victims of the last year.
The figures were released after a “comprehensive” analysis of migration routes taken by migrants trying to reach Spain, from Senegal in the south to Algeria on the Mediterranean coast.
Most migrants were on the Atlantic route. According to the organization, 4,800 migrants died trying to reach the Canary Islands in Spain.
The organization has been alerting maritime officials and migrant boats in distress. “We cannot generalize these data,” says founder Helena Maleno. It is only about not letting people die at the border and using all means to save the lives of those at risk.
Spain is one of the main gateways for immigrants looking for a better life in Europe. Most make the perilous ferry journey to reach the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. But due to increased vigilance in the Mediterranean, its popularity has increased.
It has been observed that the number of immigrants from countries further south such as Gambia and Senegal, which are about 1,500 kilometers away from the Spanish island, is increasing.