Frantic Rescues as Over 580 Migrants Arrive in the Canary Islands in a Single Day
In a dramatic turn of events on Saturday, at least 580 individuals, including 68 women and 16 minors, reached the shores of the Canary Islands aboard eight precarious vessels. The rescues unfolded throughout the day, emphasizing the ongoing crisis faced by migrants attempting to navigate dangerous seas for a chance at a new life.
According to emergency and rescue teams, the last inflatable boat to land at Haría in Lanzarote managed to arrive under its own power. Emergency services promptly attended to 34 people on board, which included five women and a baby. Lanzarote emerged as the focal point for arrivals that day, with additional reports confirming that, since dawn, five more inflatable boats carrying a total of 253 people also reached its shores. Most are believed to have set sail from Tan-Tan, Morocco, embarking on a grueling two-day journey.
Earlier in the day, a cayuco arrived at Los Abrigos in Tenerife, although the number of migrants aboard this particular vessel remains unclear. Around noon, the Salvamento Maritime service received an urgent alert from the Civil Guard, which had detected two vessels near the port of Las Restinga. This prompted the rapid mobilization of salvage ships Adhara and Acrux to provide escort to the incoming boats.
The first cayuco counted during this operation contained 69 migrants, including one woman and one minor, all of whom appeared to be in good health. Interestingly, this group reported enduring a three-day journey that began in Nuadibú, Mauritania. They claimed to originate from Mali and Guinea Bissau. The second cayuco, however, carried a staggering 224 people, comprising 57 women and 14 minors, and was reported to have departed from Djiffer, Senegal, enduring an eight-day voyage. The migrants aboard hailed from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The figures reported for Saturday, pending the final count of the cayuco in Tenerife, raise the total number of arrivals since Christmas Eve to 1,541 individuals across 28 vessels. This is indicative of a year that has continued to push record numbers, with approximately 46,000 arrivals logged thus far.
Adding a somber note, the NGO Caminando Fronteras, which monitors fatalities on various migratory routes to Spain, estimated earlier this week that a heartbreaking 9,757 people have lost their lives on the Atlantic Route while attempting to reach the Canary Islands in small boats or cayucos during 2024. This staggering statistic underscores the perilous conditions faced by migrants and highlights the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to address this humanitarian crisis.
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