Seventeen individuals survives after kayak capsizes and sinks

In a shocking turn of events, the Guardia Civil is investigating a tragic incident that occurred on the Canary Route in 2023. A cayuco, a type of traditional fishing vessel, carrying over 300 migrants primarily from Gambia and Senegal, was found adrift off the coast of El Hierro.

The magistrate made the decision to arrest 16 occupants of the cayuco following accounts of extreme violence and deaths aboard the vessel. Survivors and four witnesses testified to beatings, people being thrown alive into the sea, and deaths due to thirst as the days passed on the boat.

The cayuco's engine broke down during the journey, causing further hardship for the migrants. Those who came to the defense of the accused "witches" were also targeted and thrown into the ocean.

The exact number of deaths in this case is not specified, but it is more than 8 in one instance, and the total number of victims may exceed 50 and even approach 70. If confirmed, this cayuco would be the largest to have attempted the Canary Route.

In a separate but similar case, the El Hierro Court is investigating two incidents of deaths on the Canary Route, uncovered by the Civil Guard at the end of 2024. In these cases, deaths were allegedly caused by accusations guided by the same type of superstition, with some migrants being accused of being witches and subjected to beatings and being thrown alive into the sea.

The duty judge in San Bartolomé de Tirajana sent 17 occupants of a rescued cayuco to prison due to their possible involvement in the death of several crew members. The Maritime Rescue published a photograph taken at sea that illustrates the crowded conditions on the cayuco, although it does not show the people traveling in the lower levels.

The investigation into these incidents is ongoing, with the detainees facing charges of crime against the rights of foreign citizens and crimes of injuries. Potential additional charges of voluntary homicide or murder may be added as the investigation progresses. The Guardia Civil is also investigating similar cases of violence on the Canary Islands route in 2024, involving allegedly four and eight people killed, with prosecutions based on the same type of smuggling accusations.