More than 10,000 migrants have died trying to reach Spain in 2024

According to the Spanish migrant rights group Caminando Fronteras, at least 10,457 migrants died or went missing while trying to reach Spain by sea in 2024. That's more than 50 percent more than in 2023 and the largest number of people in a year to date.

The report released by Walking Borders on Thursday (December 26) shows that an average of 30 migrants disappeared at sea every day on their way to Spain between January 1 and December 5, 2024, up from an average of 18 per day in 2023.

Walking Borders has been running the tally since 2007, using data from helplines set up for migrants stranded at sea, families of missing migrants and official rescue data.

The report blamed the surge in deaths on flimsy boats, increasingly dangerous shipping routes and inadequate rescue resources. Helena Maleno, the group's founder, said in a statement: "These figures prove that the rescue and protection system is badly broken. More than 10,400 dead or missing in a single year is an unacceptable tragedy."

The report said the migrants who died or went missing in 2024 came from 28 countries, most of them African, but also some Iraqis and Pakistanis. Most of them, 9,757, died on the Atlantic migrant route from Africa to Spain's Canary Islands.

Spain, Italy and Greece are the three main gateways to Europe for illegal migrants. According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, 60,216 immigrants entered Spain illegally between January 1 and December 15, 2024, an increase of 14.5% compared to the same period last year. More than 70 percent of them entered Spain via the Canary Islands.

Spain's maritime rescue team said seven migrant boats landed in the Canary Islands on Christmas Day, December 25.

In a Christmas Eve address, Spain's King Felipe VI warned that if immigration is not properly managed, it could lead to tensions and undermine social cohesion.