Nearly 1,500 migrants arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands on Saturday, the highest number recorded in a single day since 2020.
Spanish authorities said the coast guard rescued 1,488 people traveling in 14 boats. Of those, 1,235 arrived on the island of El Hierro, 203 were taken to Gran Canaria and 50 to Tenerife.
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One of the boats carried 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children. Most of the migrants were from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea. Saturday’s figure surpassed the previous record of 1,461 people rescued on November 7, 2020.
The latest arrivals follow a sharp increase since October in migration from West Africa to the Spanish archipelago. This has strained reception centers and emergency services, particularly on the smaller islands.
A total of 2,331 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands on Friday and Saturday. However, according to official figures, arrivals on the islands from January through the end of October 2026 were 5.5 percent lower than in the same period last year.
The sea journey from West Africa to the Canary Islands is considered one of the world’s most dangerous routes. Migrants travel long distances, often in overcrowded boats, facing heavy seas and dangerous currents.
