The year 2023 has set a tragic record for sea disasters, with 6,618 migrants losing their lives on Spanish coasts—an average of 18 deaths per day.
Caminando Fronteras, in its recent report ‘Monitoring the Right to Life,’ presented alarming data indicating an unprecedented increase in fatalities compared to previous years.
“This year, 2023, has become the deadliest on record. In 2011, we witnessed 4,639 victims, with an average of 12 people per day losing their lives during migratory crossings. However, in 2023, these shameful figures have skyrocketed to 6,618, equating to an average of 18 deaths per day,” stated Helena Maleno, the leader of the organization.
Among the tragic toll, 363 women and 384 children lost their lives while attempting the perilous journey to Spain.
The victims hailed from 17 different nationalities, all seeking the European dream.
The Canary Islands route emerged as the most dangerous, witnessing 6,007 fatalities.
The report noted a concerning trend of increased departures from distant locations like Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia, particularly highlighting a surge in departures from Senegal due to social and political instability.
The remaining deaths are attributed to the Algerian route in the Western Mediterranean (434), the Strait of Gibraltar (147), and the Alboran route (30).
The report also shed light on the disappearance of 84 boats in 2023, each carrying all individuals on board.
Caminando Fronteras criticized the prevailing silence around border deaths in 2023, intensified by state repression and arrests against those who raise their voices.
The organization said that the surge in fatalities is due to the prioritization of border control over humanitarian help.
Other causes of this surge in fatalities include delayed search and rescue efforts, passive search practices, and reduced resources allocated for life protection.
“The figures in this report are alarmingly high, reflecting increasingly lethal migration control practices not only on Euro-Africa’s western border but also observed at other European borders,” says the report.
These statistics aim to expose the truth and prompt action against what Caminando Fronteras terms as ‘necropolitics’—policies contributing to the death toll of migrants at borders,” emphasizes the report.
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