A Child’s Death Reported at Sea
A Lanzarote emergency official says human traffickers threw a two-year-old boy into the Atlantic Ocean during a crossing to the Canary Islands, killing him in front of his mother. The account says the men controlling the journey became annoyed because the child was crying. Spanish National Police have not announced an arrest connected to the toddler’s death. The allegation was made publicly by an official who oversees emergency services on Lanzarote.
What the Lanzarote Official Said
Enrique Espinosa, who runs Lanzarote’s Emergency Services Consortium, described the case during an interview on the Cronicas Radio program A Buena Hora. The interview had focused on a reported gang rape aboard another migrant boat when Espinosa said there were “even more terrible things” happening during these crossings. He then described the child being thrown overboard while his mother was present. Espinosa called the traffickers’ actions a sign of a lack of humanity and said an end must come to trafficking by criminal mafias.
Another Crossing Ends in Arrests
The radio interview also touched on a separate incident from September 16, when Spanish authorities intercepted a small boat headed for Lanzarote. Coast guard officials said 65 survivors reached land and three bodies were recovered. After the boat arrived in Arrecife, a woman told rescuers she had been sexually assaulted by several men, likely in international waters. She was reportedly in serious condition, and another passenger said he witnessed the assault. Spanish National Police in Arrecife arrested three men, ages 21, 25, and 30. Authorities did not release their names or nationalities.
The Human Cost of the Crossings
The Sun reported that more than 450 migrants had been rescued off Lanzarote in the previous few days, while more than a dozen people were believed to have died during the crossing. A police spokesman said the woman in the separate assault case received initial assistance and specialized care as a victim. The toddler’s death, however, remains an account from the emergency official without a publicly announced arrest. Together, the reported cases show the grave danger faced by people making these journeys and the brutal conduct alleged against those profiting from them.