Holiday horror as five bodies with shackled hands and feet wash up on beach at tourist hotspot
At least five corpses with their hands and feet bound have been found floating in the sea off the coast of Majorca.
Listen to this article
Police have now opened an investigation to identify the dead bodies and establish the cause of death.
As the bodies were shackled, officers are pursuing murder as a line of enquiry.
They are believed to be migrants who were attempting to travel the dangerous route from Algeria to Spain by boat.
The Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands suspect the migrants had a confrontation during the crossing and were handcuffed and thrown into the sea.
Read more: Body found in search for second British hiker on Spanish island of Majorca
The bodies were discovered over the course of of a month in various locations, the Daily Express reports.
It comes after the Balearic Government Delegation said that 31 bodies had been recovered from the beaches and seas in the Balearic Islands between January and June this year.
At least four of the bodies were discovered on the coast of Formentera.
Officials believe they are all migrants who drowned while headed to Spain, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
However, a lack of DNA evidence, documentation and decomposition makes identifying the bodies near "impossible."
Last year, Spain announced a three year plan to grant work permits and residency to 300,000 undocumented migrants.
Migration minister Elma Saiz said around 250,000 registered foreign worker were necessary to fund Spain's welfare system.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also said the migration policy would help Spain's declining birthrate.
In 2024, around 54,000 undocumented migrants reached Spain by sea or land, according to the country's Interior Ministry.