Tragic end for African migrants in perilous Atlantic crossing

On Saturday, the Brazilian news portal UOL reported that at least nine African immigrants died at sea while attempting to cross it by boat. This tragic event occurred in the waters off the northern coast of Brazil.

According to the police investigation's findings, the boat carrying the immigrants had set sail from Mauritania and had been at sea for several weeks, continuously pushed south by ocean currents.

The boat where the bodies of deceased passengers were discovered is believed to be one of several ships that got lost in the Atlantic after deviating from their intended course. As noted by the Brazilian online newspaper, based on information gathered during the police investigation, the boat travelled approximately 4,700 kilometres from the coast of Mauritania to Brazil.

The investigators who examined the boat, which arrived on the coast in the state of Para, found nine bodies of immigrants on it. However, there were likely more passengers. In addition, 27 mobile phones and 25 raincoats were retrieved from the ship. The investigators are hopeful that examining the data on the phones will assist in identifying all the individuals who lost their lives on this perilous journey.

The National Criminal Office in Brasilia, Brazil's capital, has conducted investigations thus far. It appears that citizens of Mali and Mauritania were among those travelling on the boat adrift in the Atlantic.

The organisation Caminando Fronteras (CF) has reported that in 2023, a total of 6,007 people perished at sea during voyages from Africa to the Canary Islands, with 84 boats carrying passengers reported as missing.

The year 2024 is anticipated to set a new record for the number of illegal immigrants reaching the Canary Islands. In the first three months of this year, a record number of African newcomers - over 13,500, a more than fivefold increase compared to the same timeframe in 2023, reached the archipelago.