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Spanish police have launched a homicide investigation after several bodies were found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with their hands and feet bound, sparking fears that migrants may have been killed and thrown overboard during a perilous crossing from North Africa.
Since mid-May, at least five such corpses have been recovered by Civil Guard patrol boats off the coast of the Balearic Islands, according to Spanish media reports. Authorities suspect the victims were migrants who died under violent circumstances, possibly at the hands of smugglers.
Investigators believe a dispute on board may have led to the victims being restrained and thrown into the sea, Diario de Mallorca reported, citing police sources.
“This shows the cruelest side of irregular migration,” regional president Marga Prohens told local reporters.
The Civil Guard confirmed that the case is being treated as a suspected homicide and that efforts are underway to identify the victims and determine how they died.
While most migrants arriving in Spain come via the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, the shorter but still dangerous route from North Africa to the Balearics is increasingly being used. Authorities say 31 bodies have been recovered from the waters and beaches of the archipelago since the start of the year.
Globally, the Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest routes for migrants. Last year, the International Organization for Migration recorded over 8,500 migrant deaths worldwide, with more than a third occurring in the Mediterranean Sea.
Amid these grim statistics, rescue missions have also made headlines. Earlier this month, a Spanish NGO rescued over 50 people stranded on an abandoned oil platform, including a woman who gave birth during the ordeal. In January, the Spanish coastguard saved a newborn who was delivered on a crowded inflatable boat bound for the Canary Islands.
As investigations continue, the recent discovery of bound bodies has cast a fresh spotlight on the growing dangers faced by migrants trying to reach Europe.
*Source: CBS News
