A file 46,843 folks reached the Canary Islands illegally in 2024 through the more and more lethal Atlantic route, the second consecutive yr of unprecedented arrival numbers, in keeping with official knowledge.
Final yr Spain obtained 63,970 irregular migrants, the overwhelming majority within the Canaries, up from 56,852 in 2023, the inside ministry stated on Thursday.
Spain has moved to the forefront of the EU’s migration disaster as tighter controls within the Mediterranean push extra folks to try the perilous journey from west Africa to the Canary Islands.
The EU border company, Frontex, has stated irregular crossings into the bloc from January to November 2024 fell 40% general however rose by 19% on the Atlantic route. Mali, Senegal and Morocco accounted for the commonest nationalities.
Thursday’s figures confirmed knowledge printed in December that confirmed the file for annual migrant arrivals by boat within the Canary Islands had been damaged for the second yr operating in November.
Final yr’s arrivals surpassed the 39,910 migrants who reached the islands by sea in 2023, far past the earlier file from 2006. The 2024 determine for the entire of Spain was beneath the file of 64,298 arrivals set in 2018.
A report final week by NGO Caminando Fronteras stated not less than 10,457 migrants died or disappeared whereas making an attempt to achieve Spain by sea from 1 January to five December 2024.
Caminando Fronteras stated the demise toll was a 50% enhance on 2023 and the very best since its tallies started in 2007. It attributed the rise to the usage of ramshackle boats, harmful waters and an absence of sources for rescuers.
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