Ongoing tragedy: Bound bodies of migrants found in the Mediterranean

According to Kathimerini, Spanish authorities are investigating what they describe as horrifying deaths—part of a tragedy that exposes the darkest aspects of irregular migration routes from North Africa.

The police have launched a murder investigation after several corpses were found in the Mediterranean with their limbs bound, raising serious concerns that the migrants may have been killed during a dangerous crossing from North Africa and then thrown overboard.

According to Spanish media reports, at least five such bodies have been recovered since mid-May by patrol boats of the Civil Guard off the coast of the Balearic Islands.

Authorities believe the victims were migrants who died under violent conditions, likely at the hands of smugglers.

Diario de Mallorca, citing police sources, reported that investigators suspect a dispute aboard a vessel may have led to the victims being restrained and thrown into the sea.

A Spanish official said: "This tragedy reveals the most brutal face of migration."

While most migrants arriving in Spain come via the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, the shorter yet still perilous route from North Africa to the Balearic Islands is increasingly being used.

Spanish officials say that since the beginning of the year, 31 bodies have been recovered from the waters and shores of the Balearic archipelago.

Globally, the Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest migration routes. Last year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded over 8,500 migrant deaths worldwide, more than a third of them in the Mediterranean.

Amid these grim statistics, some rescue missions have also made headlines. Earlier this month, a Spanish NGO rescued more than 50 people stranded on an abandoned oil platform, including a woman who gave birth during the ordeal.

As investigations continue into the recent discovery of bound bodies, the incident has drawn renewed attention to the escalating dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe.