Ammon News - More than 1,300 migrants have died trying to reach the Spanish coast in the first five ​months of 2026, according to an advocacy group ‌that tracks crossings from Africa along perilous routes through the Atlantic Ocean and western Mediterranean Sea.

Caminando Fronteras, or Walking Borders, published ​the report on Wednesday ahead of Pope Leo's visit ​to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago that has ⁠seen a surge in irregular migration over the past ​decade.

The report stated that 1,317 people have died trying to ​reach the Spanish coast, including 142 women and 129 children, during the first five months of 2026. This includes 27 boats ​that disappeared with everyone on board.

The pope has focused ​on the treatment of migrants during his visit to Spain this week, ‌describing ⁠their plight as a problem challenging the ethical foundation of the international order.

Rights groups say migrants are undertaking longer and riskier routes across the Atlantic Ocean to ​avoid detection as efforts ​to stop ⁠crossings have intensified in places like Mauritania, which is close to Europe.
In 2025, 3,090 ​people lost their lives or disappeared trying to ​reach ⁠the Spanish coast, according to the group.
The shortest distance between the Canary Islands and the West African coast is ⁠roughly ​100 km (62 miles).
Migrants also often attempt ​to swim along a different route from Morocco to Spain that is ​roughly 20 km wide.