On and around January 2, four vessels were intercepted in the Canary Islands, with a total of 248 people disembarking on a single day, according to Spanish news agency EFE.

In the early morning hours, there were three rescue missions carried out, with the first being carried out by the Izar sea rescue patrol boat six miles off Fuerteventura. Three people of Moroccan origin were rescued in that operation.

A bit later, 71 and 61 migrants were rescued, respectively, by the Macondo and Adhara sea rescue patrol boats, with the first group being taken to the Arguineguin dock on the island of Gran Canaria and the second to La Restringa, located south of the island of El Hierro island.

Later in the day, at least another 151 men and 2 women were rescued by the Macondo sea rescue patrol vessel off of Gran Canaria and later taken to its port at Arguineguin.

These three rescues came after a vessel carrying 57 people had already been intercepted on Monday evening off El Hierro.

In total, at least 300 migrants have been rescued at sea in the first two days of 2024 -- that's in addition to three bodies being recovered in the waters of the archipelago.

The majority of the cases were reported to be migrants of sub-Saharan origins.

Record arrivals in Spain

A record number of migrants have arrived in Spain in 2023, making the EU country the top-second migrant destination in Europe right after Italy.

As of December 15, 2023, the number of migrant arrivals in Spain via sea and land journeys stood at 52,945, marking a 76% rise compared to the previous year, according to Spanish interior ministry data.

At least 1,142 people are believed to have died or disappeared at sea while attempting to reach Spain's coasts the same year, the interior ministry added.