Authorities have launched a homicide investigation after several bound bodies were discovered floating in the Mediterranean Sea, police confirmed on Monday, June 23.
According to the regional newspaper Diario de Mallorca, at least five bodies have been retrieved since mid-May by Civil Guard patrols, all with their hands and feet tied. Officers believe the deceased may have been migrants from North Africa, Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
Investigators cited by Diario de Mallorca suspect the victims may have been restrained and thrown into the sea during an attempted crossing, possibly following a dispute with smugglers.
The Civil Guard has opened a formal investigation into suspected murder, aiming to establish the identities of the victims and determine the precise circumstances surrounding their deaths, a spokeswoman told AFP.
“This represents the most brutal aspect of the irregular migration route,” said regional president Marga Prohens in comments to local media.
While the majority of migrants attempting to reach Europe via Spain do so through the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds opt for the shorter but perilous crossing from North Africa to the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.
Earlier this month, Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that 31 bodies have been recovered from the waters and shores of the Balearic archipelago between January and June of this year alone.
In 2023, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration recorded 8,542 migrant deaths globally, with 37 percent occurring in the Mediterranean Sea.
