At Least 17 Somali Migrants Die as Boat Sinks Between Algeria and Spain

At Least 17 Somali Migrants Die After Boat Sinks Between Algeria and Spain, Envoy Says

ALGIERS, April 24 – At least 17 Somali migrants died after a vessel carrying them went down in waters between Algeria and Spain, Somalia’s ambassador to Algeria said on Thursday, underscoring once again the deadly risks Africans face on the journey toward Europe.

Ambassador Yusuf Ahmed Hassan told Somali state media that distraught parents had reached out to him in search of news about missing children. Among the dead were 12 men and five women who drowned when the overcrowded boat overturned during the crossing.

“I was contacted by parents who wanted to know where their children were,” Hassan said.

He said he then got in touch with Algeria’s foreign ministry, which confirmed that a group of African migrants had died in a coastal area roughly 100 km (62 miles) west of the capital, Algiers.

Hassan added that he travelled early Thursday to the seaside town of Bou Ismail, arriving at about 6:00 a.m.

“I visited two hospitals in the region and saw the bodies,” he said.

The sea route between North Africa and Spain remains one of the main pathways migrants use in attempts to reach Europe, often aboard unsafe and overloaded boats.

Fatal incidents are common on these crossings, especially along the western Mediterranean and Atlantic routes, where thousands of people each year gamble with their lives while escaping war, poverty and the impacts of climate change.

Somalis are among those increasingly making the journey, pushed by insecurity, scarce economic prospects and a prolonged drought at home.

Algerian authorities have not yet released full details of the latest disaster, including how many people were on board or what caused the boat to sink.

AXADLETM