MADRID: Seven migrants were found dead on two beaches in southern Spain on Wednesday after their boats sank, local authorities said.

Six bodies were discovered at dawn on Los Muertos beach in Carboneras in the southern region of Andalusia, while another was found on the nearby Las Salinas beach in Cabo de Gata, a source close to the investigation said.

The shipwrecks happened overnight but the bodies were discovered at dawn. Twenty-six migrants were rescued from a boat which ran aground on the Los Muertos beach. It was not clear how many people in total were travelling on it. The other boat which reached Cabo da Gata was carrying 38 people.

The authorities have not ruled out the possibility of finding more bodies in the area in the coming hours. The migrants are believed to have departed from Algeria, the source said.

Spain is one of the three main entry points for irregular migrants heading for Europe, along with Italy and Greece. Authorities say thousands have died in recent years attempting the Atlantic crossing from Africa, mainly toward Spain’s Canary Islands.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2025