Africa: Grim toll of refugees mounts on Spanish beaches

A series of tragedies involving migrants off the coast of Spain has raised fears that the summer could see a record-breaking death toll in the region, as refugees embark on increasingly perilous routes in smaller boats to avoid detection. According to human rights agencies, there has been a sharp increase in the numbers of people trying to make the sea crossing from North Africa to southern Europe, many of them from sub-Saharan conflict zones such as Eritrea and Somalia.