More than 10,400 people have died or disappeared at Spanish borders in 2024, an average of 30 people a day, making 2024 the deadliest year ever. This is the result of the report ‘Monitoring the Right to Life 2024’, by the organisation Ca-minando Fronteras, which analyses the migratory routes on the Western Euro-African Border, which covers the maritime and land border between Spain and the coastal strip from southern Senegal to Algeria.
The report compiles first-hand data on people killed and missing at border crossings over the past year. The figures in the research show that since January 2024, 10,457 people have died, 30 people a day, including 421 women and 1,538 children and adolescents (the figures in the report were closed on 15 December). These figures make 2024 ‘the deadliest year on record for the organisation’.
The report offers an analysis of 293 tragedies that occurred along the different migration routes. Among these cases, 131 boats that disappeared without trace were specially tracked. The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands remains the most lethal route worldwide (9,757 victims). In 2024, a notable increase in departures from Mauritania has been observed, consolidating it as the main migratory corridor to the Islands (6,829 victims).
In addition, particularly dangerous routes have been consolidated, such as the Atlantic route to the island of El Hierro or the Algerian route to the Balearics, considered among the most risky due to the length and difficulty of the routes. The increase in the number of victims is directly related to factors such as the omission of the duty to provide assistance over and above the protection of the right to life, the prevalence of border externalisation policies that violate the human rights of migrants, the lack of activation or delay in search and rescue operations, even when the position of the boats was known, as well as the criminalisation of people on the move.
The research reveals practices that directly affect people’s right to life at migrant crossings. These include conditions of extreme vulnerability that lead them to embark on highly dangerous journeys: the use of infra-boats, departures in adverse weather conditions, shortages of water and food, and insufficient navigational materials.
“These figures are evidence of a profound failure of rescue and protection systems. More than 10,400 people dead or missing in a single year is an unacceptable tragedy. We urge that priority be given to protecting the right to life, strengthening search and rescue operations, and ensuring justice for the victims and their families,” said Helena Maleno, coordinator of the investigation.
Since 2007, the Colectivo Ca-minando Fronteras has operated a 24-hour hotline, 365 days a year. Through this service, information and alerts are received from people who are in danger at the borders. All this information is centralised in the Human Rights Observatory, created in 2014, which houses a database with the alerts received of boats at risk at sea and a register of deceased and missing persons, built with the contribution of family members and migrant communities.
“At Ca-minando Fronteras we are aware that the number of people dead and missing in the intervention area could be higher. What we do know for sure is that they are no less than the data we provide in this research. We will continue to work tirelessly for memory, justice and reparation for the victims and their families”, said Helena Maleno.