Spanish police say they have arrested 19 people suspected of murder and torture after more than 50 went missing from a migrant boat that was travelling from Senegal to the Canary Islands.
Police suspect some of the victims were accused of being 'witches' after several incidents during the journey, including engine failure, bad weather, and food shortages.
The wooden vessel was rescued south of Gran Canaria on 24 August with 248 survivors on board, the Spanish National Police reported.
However, officials believe that about 300 people were originally on the boat, suggesting that some may have been thrown overboard.
Survivors reported that some passengers began 'attacking dozens of people, beating and abusing them in various ways', according to a police statement.
In some instances, victims were allegedly thrown into the sea alive, and those who fell in by accident were ignored.
Additionally, suspected killings occurred due to individuals protesting or expressing dissatisfaction with the voyage conditions. One male passenger later died in a hospital after being found severely ill when the vessel was intercepted.
Those on board included individuals from Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau, as reported by local media.
All 19 suspects are currently in pretrial detention facing charges including facilitating irregular immigration, homicide, assault, and torture.
Spain is a frontline entry point for irregular migration into Europe, with most migrants arriving via the Canary Islands. Almost 47,000 migrants arrived in the archipelago in 2024—a record for a second consecutive year—though numbers have declined significantly this year, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry.
