At least 69 people, including 25 Malian nationals, have died after a boat traveling from West Africa to Spain capsized off the coast of Morocco on December 19, Reuters reports, citing Malian authorities.
The makeshift vessel, carrying approximately 80 people, capsized in the Atlantic Ocean. Only 11 individuals survived, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Malians Abroad on Thursday. The ministry gathered information to reconstruct the incident and confirmed the nationalities of the victims.
In response to the tragedy, a crisis unit has been established to monitor the situation and provide further updates, the statement added.
The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, often used by migrants seeking to reach Spain, has experienced a significant increase in traffic this year. Various factors contribute to this trend, including years of conflict in the Sahel region encompassing Mali, high unemployment rates, and the adverse effects of climate change on farming communities, which push people to attempt the dangerous crossing.
The route, which traces the Atlantic coasts of Mauritania and Morocco towards Spain, is one of the deadliest in the world. In the first five months of 2024 alone, nearly 5,000 migrants died at sea trying to reach the Spanish archipelago, according to the migration rights group Walking Borders. This figure underscores the extreme risks associated with this migration path.
