Spanish authorities confirmed that 19 people have been detained after an incident on board a migrant ship from Senegal with the Canary Islands as the final port. 248 migrants were on board the ship when a rescue operation was carried out on August 24.
At least 300 are feared to have been on the boat. Survivors testify that passengers were thrown overboard alive and that passengers accused fellow travelers of being "witches" and causing hardship on board.
The 19 arrested are accused of irregular migration, manslaughter, assault and torture.
The route between African ports and the Spanish Canary Islands is used by migrants who want to reach a port belonging to an EU country. Around 47,000 irregular migrants reached the Canary Islands last year, but the number coming that way is said to have decreased so far this year. The number who have died during the hazardous journeys, often in inadequate ships, may be several thousand.
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