Boat drifts from West Africa to Brazil with nine dead migrants on board

A boat was thrown by the current in Brazil’s coasts with nine dead migrants from Mauritania and Mali on board, an incident that highlights the hazardous journey facing migrants bound to the Canary Islands.

The Brazilian police could identify the identities of the decomposed bodies thanks to documents they had carried.

The boat crossed the Atlantic and ended up off the Brazilian state of Para, where it was found by fishermen who alerted the police.

More boats are sailing from West Africa aiming for the Canary Islands, where West African arrivals increased sixfold so far this year to 14,000.

Last year, more than 1,400 migrants lost their lives trying to arrive by sea, according to data from UNHCR.

In 2023, Spain said 53,000 reached its coasts by boats, the bulk of whom entered the Canary Islands, compared to only 400 crossings by land.