19 Arrested After Migrants Report Torture, Murder, Being Thrown Overboard In The Atlantic

Via Remix News,

Spanish police have arrested 19 illegal immigrants on suspicion of abusing, torturing and killing 50 of their fellow passengers on a boat as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the Canary Islands.

Remix News reported on the brutal torture and murders earlier this month, but now, it appears the police have narrowed their investigation to at least 19 suspects.

The Spanish coast guard said they rescued the remaining passengers on the 20-meter boat, which had drifted some 400 kilometers from the coast, on Aug. 24.

Murder and „witchcraft” on the Atlantic Ocean

Spanish police have arrested 19 African illegal migrants after murder and torture on a boat crossing to Spain.

50 people lost their lives.

Witnesses said passengers were allegedly murdered during the voyage from Africa to the… pic.twitter.com/OnXYTCcGUN

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 18, 2025

The police issued a statement and a video highlighting the arrests, writing:

“National Police officers have arrested 19 people suspected of murder and torture aboard a cayuco rescued on Aug. 24. The vessel was adrift in waters near Gran Canaria and contained 248 migrants, one of whom died in the hospital. Several migrants traveling on the cayuco report murders, injuries, and torture committed during the voyage. The disappearance of at least 50 people thrown overboard by the alleged masters is also being investigated. All those arrested, who were traveling on the same vessel, have been remanded in custody.”

Authorities took 248 passengers to the island of Gran Canaria, where several of them reported that there had been around 300 of them when they left Senegal, writes the Hirado news portal.

According to eyewitness accounts, a group of passengers acted as the boat’s command and used violence against the others.

The police further detail how many on the ship were accused of witchcraft and then murdered.

“The causes of these deaths, according to the testimonies gathered, are believed to be related to superstitions that labeled certain crew members as ‘witches’ when incidents occurred during the voyage, such as engine failure, food shortages, or bad weather. Likewise, homicides were documented simply because some people protested or expressed their disagreement with the conditions of the trip,” wrote the police in a statement.

Passengers told authorities that the aggressors had thrown some into the water alive, while others were tortured or even murdered directly on the boat.

After the police launched an investigation, the suspects were ultimately charged with facilitating illegal immigration and murder.

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