Panic in Spain as 100 illegal migrants arrive in 24 hours | World | News
In just 24 hours, nearly 100 illegal immigrants landed on the shores of Spain’s Balearic Islands. This follows news that more than 3,200 migrants have arrived in around 170 small boats since the beginning of the year.
According to the Government Delegation of the Balearic Islands, the Guardia Civil, Formentera Fire Brigade and the Red Cross apprehended 32 sub-Saharan people off the coast of Cabrera at 9.10am on 17 July.
At 13.40 six North Africans were helped to shore. At 17.10, a further 30 sub-Saharan residents were rescued by the Maritime Rescue Service. And just after midnight on July 18, 27 Africans were captured.
More than 3,200 migrants have arrived in the Balearic Islands on 170 small boats so far this year, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior and the Balearic Islands Government Delegation.
This follows the disappearance of at least 12 people traveling on a small boat from Algeria to Spain on June 29, according to NGO Alarm Phone. There has been no news from them since then, leading the family to worry that they died during the journey.
According to the UN Migration Agency IOM’s Missing Migrants page, more than 35,000 people have died or gone missing on various Mediterranean routes to Europe since 2014.
Many more may have died in transit, but since there is no official record of departure, reports are based either on the discovery of a boat and bodies or on the testimony of witnesses or relatives.
At least 225 people have been reported dead or missing on the Western Mediterranean route since the beginning of the year. In the entire Mediterranean, this number rises to at least 1,410.
According to the non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras, 3,090 people died trying to reach Spain in 2025. More than 10,000 people are recorded to have died in 2024.
