Seven crew members of an overcrowded boat that arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands from Senegal in December have been detained. They are suspected of murdering eight passengers, including an infant, Spain’s Civil Guard reported on Wednesday.
The boat reached the port of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro on December 28 with 224 migrants on board. Some required urgent medical attention due to severe injuries, likely sustained during a fight during the voyage, police stated.
According to passengers, the crew killed eight people. A court in the Canary Islands handling the case determined that the attackers deliberately targeted victims of a different nationality. Among the deceased were a 14-month-old boy from Gambia, as well as a father and son from Guinea, aged 50 and 18. The origins of the crew have not been disclosed.
All seven arrested individuals have been sent to prison pending the investigation. This is not an isolated case: in November 2024, Spanish police arrested the crew of another boat that arrived in El Hierro for allegedly killing four migrants during the journey.
The Canary Islands continue to experience a surge in illegal migration, mainly from Mali, Senegal, and Morocco. The dangerous Atlantic route claims thousands of lives each year.
In 2024, Spain received a record number of migrants arriving by sea—over 61,000 people, nearly 47,000 of whom landed in the Canary Islands. Among them were thousands of unaccompanied minors.
