Spanish Civil Guard forces have arrested seven smugglers accused of beating eight migrants to death during a violent clash on a boat traveling from Senegal to the Spanish Canary Islands. According to Spanish police, the confrontation erupted between the smugglers and the migrants, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals, including a 14-month-old child, and leaving several others injured. The arrests were made in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Madrid, and Almería, and the court has ordered the temporary detention of all defendants without bail.
Spanish police launched an investigation last December after a boat carrying 224 migrants arrived on the island of El Hierro. Among the migrants were individuals with serious injuries, who were in a state of panic and required immediate medical attention. The injured migrants reported that the smugglers had killed eight people, including a child traveling with his mother and a 50-year-old man from Guinea along with his 18-year-old son.
According to the police statement, the Armadul Institute has identified five of the victims and is working to identify the remaining three. The police had detained the seven suspects on the island of Tenerife.
The victims’ families filed a complaint against the suspects, leading the court in Tenerife to order the temporary detention of all defendants without bail. Investigations into the incident uncovered that the smugglers on the boat killed eight migrants following a violent altercation that erupted when the migrants voiced their concerns about the poor conditions on board.
This horrific incident follows another tragedy in which four migrants were killed by seven smugglers during a trip from Gambia to El Hierro Island last November. The migrants had complained about the poor conditions of their journey.
Spain’s Canary Islands have experienced a record surge in migrant arrivals over the past year, with 46,843 migrants recorded in 2024—the highest number ever to reach the Atlantic archipelago.
International organizations have urged the Spanish government to take urgent action to protect migrants and prevent the recurrence of such incidents. In response, the Spanish government is continuing to enforce strict measures against human smugglers along the migration route from Africa to Spain.
