They may have been murdered for expressing grievances and to instill fear in the others.
Among the 207 individuals who arrived, there was one with a chest injury consistent with a stab wound.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 29 December. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Civil Guard has apprehended seven individuals who acted as skippers in a cayuco that landed on 3 November in La Restinga (El Hierro) with 207 migrants, on suspicion of having killed four occupants during the voyage.
This was reported on Sunday by the Benemérita, which added that the detainees were accommodated in the humanitarian emergency facility in Las Raíces, on the island of Tenerife, and that the inquiry commenced following testimonies from the migrants, who indicated that the journey had been a “genuine nightmare.”
Thus, the officers were able to ascertain that this cayuco initially departed from Gambia, subsequently making a stop at Bassoul Island (Senegal), where most of the migrants who eventually reached the Canary Islands boarded.
However, after three days at sea, three of the skippers, responsible for maintaining order aboard the vessel, chose to retaliate against several migrants, allegedly because one of the occupants, possibly affected by the voyage’s harsh conditions, experienced an episode of disorientation.
THEY ACCUSED ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS FOR THE TRIP’S MISFORTUNE
This predicament led the three leaders to attribute the journey’s misfortune to him, subjecting him and those who supported him to brutal beatings. As punishment, they allegedly opted to murder four of them to instil fear in the remaining migrants aboard the cayuco.
Nevertheless, the Civil Guard has successfully identified three of the victims, whose families have been informed about their deaths and the apprehension of those allegedly responsible, through international cooperation mechanisms.
To facilitate this, a representative from the Benemérita stationed in that region of the African continent and personnel from the Senegalese National Gendarmerie have travelled.
As for the fourth victim, efforts are currently underway to determine his identity and to contact his relatives.
It is worth noting that among the group of migrants that reached the shores of the Canary Islands, one individual required transfer to a hospital, where he underwent surgery for a deep chest wound, which could be consistent with a stabbing.