In Almeria and its surrounding beaches alone, more than 1,100 Algerian illegal migrants arrived during the last four days of June. “It’s been a horrendous year,” Helena Maleno, an activist with the Spanish NGO, told a news conference called to present the group’s latest report. The higher death toll is also due to the fact that more family members of migrants are reporting to the NGO when their loved ones go missing at sea, Maleno added. Spanish interior ministry figures show that between January 1 and June 30, a total of 12,622 migrants arrived in Spain by sea, compared with 7,256 a year earlier. Asked by AFP, a spokesman said the ministry had no tally for how many migrants went missing or died in the attempted crossing.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 08, 2021 16:41 UTC