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Nearly 1,500 migrants arrive in Canary Islands in one day
Dozens of migrants aboard a wooden fishing boat sail near the port of La Restinga on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, 12 November 2026.
Reuters
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.
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 7 November, 2020, maritime rescue services said on Sunday.
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.
One boat on Saturday 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 Víctor Torres will visit El Hierro on Sunday to discuss the surge in migrant arrivals.
A Spanish maritime rescue vessel tows a wooden fishing boat carrying migrants into the port of La Restinga, on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, 12 November 2026.
Reuters
Atlantic route remains one of the world's deadliest
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings. Thousands of migrants attempt the journey each year in overcrowded boats, seeking to reach Spanish territory despite rough seas, strong currents and long distances.
Arrivals tend to pick up in the autumn months, when sea conditions along the route are generally calmer and more favourable for crossings.
Migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands between January and 31 October were down 5.5 per cent from the same period last year, government data show.
Read more:
- Pope Leo visits Canary Islands to spotlight migrant deaths
- Spain prepares new site in Ceuta to accommodate migrants after July influx
- Ceuta residents protest Spain’s handling of migration crisis
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