Spanish authorities on the Canary Islands have rescued 518 migrants who crossed the Atlantic in small boats. More than 1,200 migrants have made the crossing to El Hierro in the Spanish archipelago in the last six days.
The Spanish coast guard says its crew members rescued a total of 262 migrants in the early hours of Friday (October 6). The group follows around 280 picked up near the coast of the Canary Islands earlier this week.
The coast guard Salvamento Maritimo located a boat carrying 82 males, including 17 minors, off the coast of Tenerife and the Punta Rasca lighthouse on Thursday (October 5), regional news portal Canarias 7 reports.
Another boat transporting 74 men was detected south of the island of Gran Canaria around the same time. Later, a boat carrying 103 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries -- including 93 men, seven women and three minors -- was detected off the island of El Hierro.
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The arrivals continued on Friday (October 6), reported the Spanish news agency EFE. By midday, the agency reported that 518 migrants had arrived in six different boats.
Head of regional government: El Hierro 'overwhelmed'
The news agency Reuters reports that more than 1,200 migrants have crossed the Atlantic route from the coast of West Africa to the smallest island in the Spanish archipelago, El Hierro, in the last six days.
El Hierro has a residential population of just 11,000. Out of the 262 rescued, 103 were brought to shore while the rest of the group was taken to safety on the larger islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
Spanish emergency services said that all Friday morning arrivals originated from sub-Saharan Africa.
It is not yet clear where exactly they set off from. Many of the boats hoping to make the crossing towards the Canary Islands track north up Africa’s west coast from countries like Senegal and Guinea to Morocco or Mauritania. From there they head west towards the Canary Islands.
Atlantic crossing
This route is highly dangerous and even those who have survived the crossing often report days at sea and frequent deaths on route. Some report seeing ghost ships over the course of their journey, sometimes with bodies on board. The currents and wind directions in the Atlantic have meant many get lost along the way and have in some rarer cases wound up in the Azores, Cape Verde or even the Caribbean islands, much further west than the Canary Islands are situated.
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Spanish statistics indicate that migrants arriving in Spain have increased by a fifth so far this year compared to the equivalent period in 2022. In September, more than 3,500 migrants reached the Canary Islands, as mild weather and calm seas made the crossing seem more achievable.
The Spanish Interior Ministry reports that from the beginning of the year until September 30, 14,976 people had arrived on the Canary Islands, a 19.8% increase compared to the same period in 2022, Canarias 7 reports.
In fact, according to that data, more people arrived in September than in August or July. If these numbers continue, 2023 arrivals are likely to surpass the yearly total for 2022, Canarias 7 reports.
With Reuters and EFE