Mallorca migrant survivors say 17 died; 2 bodies found

Two North African men were rescued on Tuesday, August 4, after drifting for 15 days in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Spain's Balearic Islands, Spanish authorities said. The survivors told rescuers that 17 other people who had been on their boat had died.

The men were found at about 3:00 am around 13 nautical miles southwest of Mallorca, the Spanish government's representative in the Balearic Islands said. Both were taken to hospital with dehydration and malnutrition.

A spokeswoman for the government representative told AFP there was no record of the 17 other people beyond the testimony of the two survivors.

Spain's maritime rescue service deployed a helicopter to search the area where the men were found and issued a navigational warning to vessels nearby as the operation continued.

The Civil Guard later said two bodies were recovered on Tuesday afternoon eight nautical miles southwest of the uninhabited island of Cabrera. Authorities said it was unclear whether the bodies were from the same boat.

Balearic regional leader Marga Prohens wrote on X that it was “one of the toughest days in the humanitarian tragedy that the Balearic Islands are experiencing” and called on Spain's central government to draw up a specific plan for the migration emergency facing the islands.

Most irregular immigration to Spain by sea takes place on the Atlantic route from west Africa to the Canary Islands. Arrivals to the Canary Islands have recently fallen, while more migrants have been using the Balearic route from North Africa, particularly Algeria.

Spain's interior ministry recorded 3,864 irregular migrant arrivals to the Balearic Islands from January 1 to July 31, a 10% increase from the same period in 2025.