WAZIRABAD: Four Pakistani nationals tragically lost their lives while attempting to illegally travel to Spain, according to media reports. The young men were reportedly hiding in the cargo hold of a ship and died due to suffocation while en route.
The incident occurred in Mauritania, where one of the victims has been identified as Abu Huraira, a resident of Jinnah Colony, Wazirabad. Family sources disclosed that Abu Huraira had left for Spain a month ago, facilitated by an agent named Usman.
This tragedy adds to a growing number of migrant deaths involving dangerous journeys. Recently, a boat carrying migrants capsized near Spain’s Canary Islands, resulting in at least nine deaths and 48 people reported missing. The Spanish maritime rescue service confirmed that 27 individuals were rescued from the vessel, which had 84 people on board when the distress call was made.
Earlier in September, another deadly incident saw 39 migrants lose their lives when their boat sank off the coast of Senegal during an attempt to reach the Canary Islands, a common route for migrants hoping to enter mainland Europe.
In recent years, thousands of migrants have perished attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean in overcrowded, often poorly maintained boats. These perilous journeys, taken in hopes of reaching Europe, frequently end in disaster due to strong ocean currents and inadequate equipment on the boats.
Spain has been working to address the crisis. In late August, Spain’s prime minister visited Mauritania and The Gambia to sign cooperation agreements aimed at curbing human smuggling and creating more legal pathways for migration. By mid-August, more than 22,300 migrants had reached the Canary Islands this year, a significant increase from the 9,864 who arrived during the same period last year.
The Atlantic migration route remains one of the deadliest. The UN’s International Organization for Migration estimates that over 4,850 people have died attempting this crossing since 2014, though many aid organizations argue the actual number is much higher. The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras estimates that nearly 18,700 migrants have died trying to reach Europe.
