Seventeen Migrants Die After 15 Days Adrift in Boat from Algeria to Mallorca

Two survivors rescued near Mallorca on August 4 told Spanish authorities that 17 other people in their boat had died during a 15-day crossing from Algeria. The Olive Press reported the small boat set out from Algeria bound for the Balearic Islands.

Both survivors were hospitalized. They showed signs of malnutrition and dehydration. Authorities said those who died were thrown overboard by the remaining group as they perished.

Later the same day a second boat was found near Mallorca. Two people aboard were dead; 17 others survived. The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported 19 deaths across the two incidents on August 4.

EU border agency Frontex said the Algeria-to-Balearic Islands route was the fastest-growing migration passage into the European Union in the first half of 2026.