17 Canoe Passengers Sentenced to Prison After Throwing Live Victims Over

Witnesses on the vessel gave a harrowing account of beatings and several people being thrown overboard alive. The investigation suggests the boat set sail with 320 people – matching the record on the Canary route – and was rescued with 251 aboard.

The judge on duty in San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) has sentenced 17 of the 251 occupants rescued on 24 August to prison, after dozens of their companions died and they are suspected of involvement in the on‑board tragedy, which includes several violent deaths.

The magistrate made the decision after hearing, on Friday, not only the detainees – 16 Senegalese and one Gambian – but also four survivors who, as protected witnesses, gave a “harrowing” testimony describing extreme violence, beatings and multiple people being thrown alive overboard, according to judicial sources cited by EFE.

The detainees face the usual charge of a crime against the rights of foreign nationals (facilitating irregular immigration as the boat’s operators), with the addition in this case of assault and crimes against life.

Sources say this is a generic classification that will likely be upgraded to charges of voluntary homicide or murder with aggravating circumstances as the investigation progresses and more survivors are heard.

The exact death toll is still uncertain, but it could exceed half a hundred and possibly approach 70, since witnesses claim the vessel left for the Canary Islands with “more than 300” occupants, some even speaking of 320 people.

If that figure is confirmed, the dhow would become the largest ever to attempt the Canary Route, matching the vessel that arrived at the port of La Restinga, El Hierro, on 21 October 2023, which also carried 320 people.

The boat was enormous, departing with occupants mainly from Gambia and Senegal eleven days before being found adrift by a merchant ship west of Dajla (Western Sahara), more than 400 km south of the Canaries.

Maritime Rescue Service posted on X on 24 August a high‑sea photograph showing how packed the vessel was, although the image does not reveal the people traveling on the lower decks.

Guardamar Urania rescues 248 people from a dhow, disembarked #Arguineguín
Salvamar Spica rescues 7 people from a pirogue, disembarked #Almería
Salvamar Denébola rescues a person from the water, disembarked #Algeciras
Coordinated by centers #LasPalmas #Almería #Tarifa #Madrid

Before heading for Spain, the boat spent several days anchored far from the coast while smaller craft ferried additional migrants to join the expedition; the sheer number of people caused tensions among the cramped passengers.

At an undetermined point during the crossing, the vessel’s engine broke down, triggering the tragedy. Initially, deaths occurred from dehydration as days passed, but the situation escalated when some migrants were accused of being witches who had brought bad luck. Those accused were bound, beaten and thrown alive into the sea.

This is not the first occurrence of such superstition‑driven violence on the Canary Route. The court in El Hierro is already investigating two similar cases uncovered by the Civil Guard at the end of 2024, in which four and eight people were allegedly murdered under comparable accusations.

In this case, witnesses say the violence intensified over the days as water and provisions ran out and the boat’s “captains” tried to impose their rule, armed with sticks and knives.

Consequently, not only those labeled “witches” were cast into the ocean, but also anyone who defended them, as well as those who merely complained about the lack of food or water.

The ordeal also involved injuries and threats: one witness had his teeth broken, another was doused with gasoline, and a third was threatened that his child – who was traveling with him – would be harmed if he did not stay silent and obey.

At this stage of the investigation the exact number of deaths has not been fixed, but testimonies describe both deaths from dehydration and people thrown alive overboard. The former are usually classified as negligent homicide; the latter could be charged as homicide or murder, depending on the circumstances.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 5 September 2025 (EFE).