The discovery of three bodies, including that of a minor, in waters off Alicante, El Campello and Tabarca Island has intensified fears of a new migrant tragedy along Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
The Civil Guard is investigating whether the victims were part of a small boat crossing from Algeria that ended in disaster. Authorities have not ruled out a possible link to a recent incident off Cartagena, where a vessel carrying 18 migrants was intercepted with two survivors and three deceased, leaving at least 13 others missing.
The first body was found on Tuesday near a fish farm off El Campello. On Wednesday morning, a recreational boat raised the alarm after spotting the body of a child wearing a life jacket floating near Cabo de la Huerta. Due to the location, the Civil Guard’s Maritime Service was deployed to recover the body and transport it to Alicante port.
While that operation was underway, a second alert led officers to Tabarca Island, where another body—believed to be a woman—was discovered in the water and later retrieved.
Investigators believe the victims may have been adrift for days, consistent with patterns seen in previous migrant crossings that fail to reach the Spanish coast. In the Cartagena case, additional bodies were later found at sea, suggesting a larger loss of life.
All three bodies recovered in Alicante province have been transferred to the Institute of Legal Medicine for autopsy and identification. The Civil Guard’s Judicial Police are continuing their investigation to establish the exact circumstances of the deaths and determine whether the victims were part of the same vessel or separate crossings.
