Suspects are accused of irregular immigration, murder, aggression and torture. According to the authorities, at least 50 people were thrown into the sea during the trip.
Spanish police announced Wednesday the detention of 19 people suspected of murder and torture aboard a senegal migrant vessel to the cannaries.
The 19 suspects are in pre-trial detention and are accused of irregular immigration, murder, aggression and torture.
On 24 August, a makeshift vessel was rescued off the Greater Canary in the Atlantic Ocean, with 248 survivors on board, the Spanish police said.
Initially, about 300 people would be aboard, the Spanish authorities said, adding suspecting, based on reports of survivors, that the missing were thrown into the sea during the 11 days of travel.
“They shot alive migrants to the sea and refused to help those who accidentally fell”
The survivors told investigators that several of the detained people acted as captains, “attacked dozens of people, who beat and mistreated in many ways,” according to a police statement.
“In some cases they threw alive migrants into the sea and refused to help those who accidentally fell into the water,” he added in the statement.
According to the authorities, at least 50 people were thrown into the sea during the trip.
Victims accused of “witchcraft”
Police said some of the homicides were linked to superstitions, with the victims accused of “witchcraft” and being responsible for engine damage, food shortages or storms.
According to the prosecution, other people were killed for contesting the harsh conditions on board.
A man who was severely sick during the rescue later died in a hospital in the Canary Islands.
Spain is one of the three main entry points for migrants in Europe, along with Italy and Greece.
Authorities estimate that thousands of people have died in recent years to try to cross the Atlantic to the Canaryes on the west coast of the African continent.
In 2024, 47,000 irregular arrivals were registered in the Spanish archipelago, a number that increased for the second year in a row, as the most tight controls in the Mediterranean led migrants to try the Atlantic route.
