Up to 50 migrants attempting to reach Spain from West Africa may have drowned, announced today the migrant rights organization Walking Borders.

Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people yesterday, Wednesday, who were aboard a boat that had departed from Mauritania on January 2, explained the Madrid- and Navarre-based organization. According to the same source, 86 migrants were aboard the boat, including 66 Pakistanis.

A record 10,457 migrants, an average of 30 people per day, lost their lives in 2024 attempting to reach Spain, most on the Atlantic maritime route. Departing from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal, they aimed to reach the Canary Islands, noted Walking Borders.

The organization explained that it had informed the authorities of all relevant countries about the boat six days ago.

The NGO Alarm Phone, which provides telephone support to migrants stranded at sea, stated that it had notified the Spanish coast guard on January 12 about the boat in question.

Referring to the Walking Borders post on X, the head of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, expressed his sorrow for the victims and called on Spain and Europe to act to prevent further such tragedies.

“The Atlantic cannot continue to be Africa’s graveyard,” Clavijo emphasized on X. “They cannot keep turning their backs on this humanitarian crisis,” he added, addressing European leaders.

The head of Walking Borders, Helena Maleno, stated on X that 44 of the migrants who drowned were from Pakistan. “They spent 13 agonizing days at sea with no one coming to rescue them,” she stressed.