Spain arrests 19 on suspicion of torture and murder after 50 migrants disappear from boat

MADRID — Spanish police arrested 19 people on suspicion of murder and torture after more than 50 migrants disappeared from a wooden boat traveling from Senegal to the Canary Islands, authorities said. The vessel was intercepted south of Gran Canaria on 24 August, and 248 survivors were rescued on board, according to the National Police. Officials believe as many as 300 people were originally aboard and that some had been thrown overboard during the perilous voyage.

Survivors told investigators that during the journey some passengers began attacking dozens of people, beating and abusing them in various ways, a police statement said. In some cases, migrants were thrown into the sea alive, and rescuers were not allowed to help those who fell in by accident, the statement added. Police described the violence as occurring in the context of deteriorating conditions on the vessel, including engine troubles, bad weather and shortages of food.

All 19 suspects are in pretrial detention facing charges that include homicide, torture, aggravated assault and facilitating irregular immigration, authorities said. The group comprises people from Senegal, Guinea, Mali, the Gambia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, local media reported, with investigators continuing to piece together the sequence of events on the voyage.

Spain is a frontline entry point for irregular migration into Europe, with the Canary Islands serving as a key gateway. Interior Ministry figures show that nearly 47,000 migrants reached the archipelago in 2024, a record for a second consecutive year, though current-year arrivals have been far lower so far. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek to determine the full scale of abuses aboard the boat and identify those responsible.

BBC News reported on the arrests and the evolving case, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian and security challenges posed by migration routes into Europe.