Multiple Bodies Found in Sea With Hands, Feet Tied
Authorities in Spain are investigating after discovering multiple bodies in the Mediterranean Sea. Police noted that the hands and feet of the bodies had been tied, which indicates that there may have been some sort of struggle.
Diario de Mallorca reports that boats have found at least five bodies with bound feet and hands since the middle of May. Police believe the victims may be migrants from northern Africa.
Authorities say the migrants could have been tied and thrown into the water during their attempts to cross the border into Europe, and the deaths are being investigated as homicides.
Regional president Marga Prohens said that the unfortunate discoveries highlight “the cruelest side” of the migration route many take between continents.
Most who migrate into Spain do so through the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, but a small percentage attempt to come through a shorter crossing between North Africa and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.
Between January and June of 2025 alone, authorities say they’ve found 31 bodies in and around the Balearic Islands. The UN’s International Organization for Migration reported that 8,542 migrants died in 2023, and 37% of those deaths were in the Mediterranean.
NGO Open Arms reported that a charity ship rescued 50 migrants from an abandoned oil platform. The ship found over 100 more people while on that same mission, including four who were in the water.
The Louise Michel, a former naval ship for France, is currently taking the 54 migrants who were rescued to safe passage in Sicily.
Many migrants attempt to make the trip on leaky boats that often can’t handle the volume of passengers, leading to tragic and catastrophic results in a difficult area to navigate.
U.N. Refugee Agency estimates that around 23,000 migrants had been able to cross into Italy this year.
The Mallorca Daily Bulletin says that the bodies will likely not be identified quickly due to the “advanced state of decomposition” and the “lack of DNA for possible relatives.”
We’ll see what the future holds for Spain, Italy and the rest of Europe as people look to move from country to country.
Multiple Bodies Found in Sea With Hands, Feet Tied first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jun 24, 2025
