Journey through hell: 72 illegal migrants reportedly killed at sea after being accused of witchcraft, alleged killers now in Spain
Dozens of illegal migrants were reportedly executed and thrown overboard by fellow passengers, who are now residing in reception centers on the Spanish archipelago
Spanish police have launched a murder investigation after survivors reported that dozens of migrants were killed during a deadly Atlantic crossing from Africa, with the alleged perpetrators now housed in reception centers in the Canary Islands.
According to witness testimony, between 20 and 30 young sub-Saharan men aboard a migrant boat carrying 320 people from the West African coast conspired to kill fellow passengers during the 15-day voyage.
Seventy-two migrants were accused of witchcraft, murdered in cold blood, and their bodies thrown overboard before the vessel arrived in the Canary Islands on Aug. 25, according to an OKdiario report.
A total of 248 migrants survived the journey and are now residing on the Spanish archipelago.
Judicial sources said the killings began after disputes over food and water supplies. When theft accusations failed to justify attacks, the suspects turned to witchcraft allegations as grounds to kill. Survivors told police that groups of young men carried out the murders in an attempt to assert control and preserve resources.
The National Police are now working to identify all of the suspects, who are believed to be spread across shelters on the islands.
Several witnesses have already confirmed the massacre, and arrests are expected soon.
Authorities have not yet determined whether women or children were among the victims. If convicted, those responsible could face life sentences, subject to review under Spanish law.
Homicides up 400% on the Canary Islands in 2025 as violent crime soars
In May, crime statistics published by Spain’s Ministry of the Interior and cited by La Rázon revealed that homicides on the Canary Islands had soared by 400 percent this year compared to 2024. Violent crime also surged across the islands, with attempted murders and sexual assaults both rising significantly in the first quarter of 2025.
‘Spain’s establishment parties have abandoned the Canary Islands to mass immigration,’ archipelago’s president claims
n a scathing interview with El Mundo in January, the president of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, accused Spain’s major political parties — the left-wing Socialists (PSOE) and center-right People’s Party (PP) — of leaving his territory in a “state of abandonment” and urged them to form a “great migratory coalition” to address the ongoing migration crisis affecting the islands.
In total, 46,843 migrants from Africa came to the islands last year, beating the previous year’s record of 39,910, according to figures published by the Spanish Interior Ministry.
Source: Remix News
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