Spanish NGO Reports Record Number of Migrant Deaths and Disappearances in 2023

SPAIN – In a startling revelation, the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras announced that at least 6,618 migrants died or disappeared in 2023 while attempting to reach Spain. This alarming statistic averages to 18 deaths or disappearances per day.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the coordinator of Caminando Fronteras, this figure marks a staggering 177% increase from 2022 and represents the highest number recorded by the NGO since it began tracking such data. Maleno highlighted this increase in a press statement, criticizing the inadequate resources available to rescuers at sea.

In comparison, an NGO report from the previous year tallied 11,200 migrant deaths or disappearances from 2018 to 2022, averaging six per day. The dramatic rise in 2023’s numbers coincides with a near doubling of migrants arriving illegally in Spain, reaching 56,852. This surge is attributed primarily to an unprecedented influx into the Canary Islands, as noted by Spanish government figures.

Caminando Fronteras, which compiles its reports based on distress calls from migrants or their families, found that 363 women and 384 children were among the victims last year. The NGO reported that the majority of these disappearances (6,007 out of the total) occurred on the perilous route from northwest Africa’s coasts to Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This journey often involves several hundred kilometers and can last days or weeks, with migrants traveling on overcrowded and makeshift boats.

The NGO’s data indicates that the largest number of migrants who disappeared while attempting to reach Spain departed from Senegal’s coast, totaling 3,176 individuals. Additionally, the NGO recorded 611 deaths or disappearances on the route connecting Morocco and Algeria to Spain’s southern coasts.

In contrast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which bases its figures on indirect testimonies and press reports, counted 914 missing on the route to the Canaries and 333 between Morocco or Algeria and Spain last year. However, the IOM cautions that its figures are likely a considerable underestimation of the actual situation, given the challenges in documenting these tragedies and the fact that many bodies are never found.