DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Caminando Fronteras non-governmental organization in Spain has confirmed that the “cayuco,” the 44-foot wooden boat found on 6 August 2024 off Gaspar Hernandez, Puerto Plata on the northern coast, had drifted this way from Africa and that 77 Africans had originally taken that trip. On board, local authorities identified 14 corpses.

The boat was sighted by Dominican fishermen and brought to the northern coast. IDs that were found in backpacks enabled the identification and tracing the boat occupants to Africa.

In June 2024, Caminando Fronteras had tweeted that 2024 was the most brutal year for those taking the dangerous Canary Island Route to get to Spain from Africa. The NGO said that 5,054 confirmed victims were accounted for in only the first five months of the year. In 2023, 40,000 persons did make it to the Canary Islands off the mainland of...