Almost 2,200 migrants arrived by boat in the Canary Islands in Spain in the last two days, today the Spanish maritime rescue service reported.
© Lusa
15/11/2026
by
Lusa
Quase 2,200 migrants arrived by boat in the Canary Islands in Spain in the last two days, today the Spanish maritime rescue service reported.
The Spanish archipelago, located off the northwest of Africa, is one of the main points of migrants’ entry into the country, as people from West Africa try to cross the Atlantic in precarious vessels.
Of the little more than 28,000 people who arrived in Spain by sea between January and the end of October, more than 13,000 did so through the Canary Islands, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
The Maritime Rescue Service reported that it assisted 1,324 migrants aboard 14 boats, most of which arrived on the island of El Hierro. This number approached the daily record for this route – 1,461 people rescued on November 7, 2020.
The Atlantic Ocean range between West Africa and the Canary Islands is one of the most deadly migratory routes in the world. The islands are about 65 miles (105 km) from the nearest point in Africa, but to avoid security forces, many migrants try longer trips that may take days or weeks. Most of Mauritania.