Follow-Up: Nearly 1,500 Migrants Arrive in Spain's Canary Islands in One Day, Highest Since 2020
Almost 1,500 migrants arrived in Spain's Canary Islands on Saturday, the highest number in a single day since 2020, the EFE news agency reported on Sunday, citing the maritime rescue service, Reuters reported.
A total of 1,488 people in 14 boats were rescued by the Spanish coastguard, EFE reported, continuing a surge of arrivals from West African countries to the Spanish archipelago since October. The previous one-day record was the 1,461 people rescued in waters off the Canary Islands on November 7, 2020, maritime rescue services said on Sunday.
Twelve boats arrived in El Hierro, plus one in Gran Canaria and another in Tenerife. One boat on Saturday was carrying 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children; the rescued migrants were taken to El Hierro, one of the smallest Canary Islands. Most of the people were from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Conakry.
While migrant arrivals have declined so far this year compared with the same period last year, the sharp increase last month placed additional pressure on reception and emergency services on some of the Canary Islands, particularly the smaller and less densely populated ones. Spain's Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres will visit El Hierro on Sunday to discuss the surge.
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings. Government data show arrivals to the Canary Islands between January and October 31 were down 5.5% from the same period last year, and arrivals tend to pick up in the autumn months, when sea conditions along the route are generally calmer.
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：西班牙加那利群岛 El Hierro 岛的 La Estaca 港。照片：Icodense，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: La Estaca harbour on El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain. Photo by Icodense, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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