14,000 people have now come to the Canaries in boats this year

The Canary Islands reached a significant milestone yesterday (Wednesday), by surpassing 14,000 immigrant arrivals in makeshift boats and dinghies since the beginning of the year, which is 20% more than the whole of 2022, and now means that 70,000 people have reached our shores so far this decade.

This comes after the interception of four more boats spotted throughout the day in Lanzarote, El Hierro, and Tenerife, carrying a total of 284 people.

According to official data obtained by EFE, as of Tuesday, the count stood at 13,993 immigrants arriving in 248 boats. These numbers have now risen to 14,277 people aboard 252 cayucos, pateras, and inflatables, with arrivals on all of the islands except La Palma.

However, the upturn this month in the number of boats reaching the islands means that nearly 20% of them, 2,834 people, have arrived in the thirteen days since September began.

The latest to reach the shore were the 136 occupants, including five women, of a cayuco spotted yesterday afternoon south of Tenerife. Salvamar Alpheratz escorted them to the Los Cristianos dock according to data from the Red Cross. At least ten of them have been taken to medical centres suffering from burns caused by contact with a mixture of fuel and seawater.

Prior to that, another 148 people had arrived in Los Cristianos, including 13 women, two babies, and two young children.

In El Hierro, shortly after 7:00 in the morning, a white cayuco with 66 Sub-Saharan occupants entered the La Restinga port under its own power. Among them were three women, a baby, and two young children aged around three and six. According to the emergency services, two males were transported to the hospital in serious condition, both suffering from hypoglycemia, with one also having a head injury.

In Lanzarote, Maritime Rescue received a report of a rubber boat heading towards the island. Salvamar Al Nair located it approximately 73 kilometres east of Arrecife and rescued its 49 Sub-Saharan occupants: 44 men, four women, and a baby, all of whom are now safe at the Lanzarote capital's dock.

While this rescue was taking place, around 7:40am, a patera was spotted just 100 metres from Arrieta Beach. The engine on the boat was broken so a fishing boat was asked to stay close to it until Maritime Rescue arrived. 33 people of Maghreb origin were onboard: 27 men and six women, who have also been transported to the Arrecife port.