Migrant Deaths at Sea Nearing Record Highs, Spanish NGO Warns

At this rate, 2021 risks becoming the "most dramatic" year in history, warns the Caminando Fronteras association. "We call on the Spanish state to react to avoid a catastrophic year at the border," said Helena Maleno, the spokeswoman for the association, who has already counted 79 tragedies at sea since the beginning of the year, according to information gathered from the Spanish and Moroccan authorities, and especially from the families of the victims.

In total, 1,922 people died or disappeared in the Atlantic since January in 57 tragedies while trying to reach the Canary Islands. To this number are added 165 other victims in the Mediterranean, including 93 on the Alboran route, 36 in the Strait of Gibraltar and 36 others from the Algerian coast.