Key facts
- The Spanish coastguard rescued 1,488 people in 14 boats on November 14, EFE reported, citing the maritime rescue service.
- One boat carried 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children, authorities said.
- Most of the rescued people were from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea Conakry, authorities said.
- Migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands from January 1 to October 31 were down 5.5% from the same period last year, government data show.
Almost 1,500 migrants arrived in Spain's Canary Islands on November 14, the highest number in a single day since 2020, the EFE news agency reported on November 15, citing the maritime rescue service. A total of 1,488 people in 14 boats were rescued by the Spanish coastguard, EFE reported, continuing a rise in 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 November 15. While migrant arrivals have declined so far this year compared with the same period last year, the sharp increase in October placed additional pressure on reception and emergency services on some of the Canary Islands, particularly the smaller and less densely populated ones.
One boat on November 14 was carrying 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children, authorities said. 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. Twelve boats arrived in El Hierro, plus one in Gran Canaria and another in Tenerife.
Spain's Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres was due to visit El Hierro on November 15 to discuss the rise in migrant arrivals. The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings, with thousands of migrants attempting the journey each year in overcrowded boats. Arrivals tend to pick up in the autumn months, when sea conditions along the route are generally calmer. Migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands between January 1 and October 31 were down 5.5% from the same period last year, government data show.