Spain accuses smugglers of killing migrants during sea crossing
Spanish police have arrested seven alleged people smugglers accused of killing eight migrants, including a baby, during a sea crossing from Senegal to the Canary Islands, authorities said Wednesday.
The police said they began investigating after a vessel docked at the island of El Hierro in December with 224 people aboard, including some who had suffered serious injuries during an altercation on the boat.
Migrants from the vessel said that another eight passengers “allegedly died at the hands of the captains who were detained,” the police statement added.
Among the victims was a 14-month-old Gambian baby travelling with his mother and uncle, as well as a 50-year-old Guinean man and his 18-year-old son.
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Police said they were still working to identify three of the deceased and did not indicate if they had recovered the bodies.
The seven suspects were being held in pre-trial detention after their arrest on the island of Tenerife and on mainland Spain.
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Police in December arrested another seven suspected people smugglers accused of killing four migrants during a sea crossing in November from the coast of Gambia to El Hierro.
According to the probe, traffickers appointed to maintain order onboard the boat killed the migrants following complaints from the passengers over the conditions of the crossing.
Spain’s Canary Islands have seen a surge in arrivals due to their proximity to northwestern Africa and the tightening of patrols in the Mediterranean.
A total of 46,843 migrants reached the Atlantic archipelago in 2024, breaking the annual record for the second year running.
