Over 1,000 migrants land in 485 boats in Spain’s Canary Islands in past 24 hours

Spain’s Canary Islands saw the largest number of migrant arrivals since 2006 in the past 48 hours, the Red Cross said on Saturday. 

Between Thursday and Saturday, 1,015 people landed in 485 boats in the seven Spanish islands, a Red Cross spokesman said. They reportedly traveled across the Atlantic in small fishing boats and were met by sea rescue vessels close to the islands. 

Spain had seen a surge of sea migration in recent years, but the flow of arrivals had diminished nearly 5.8% between January and September. Arrivals to the Canary Islands, however, have surged by523.7%, Interior Ministry data shows.

Most of the migrants came from North Africa or sub-Saharan African nations. They arrived in good health, though some were suffering symptoms of hypothermia, the Red Cross said.  

All of them have been tested for the new coronavirus, the official said. 

DW