At the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands a total of 1,488 people were brought to safety from 14 boats on Saturday, 14 November. The Canarian broadcaster RTVC reported this on Sunday, citing a provisional tally. Most of those rescued were brought ashore on El Hierro ashore.
According to the tally, 12 boats carrying 1,235 people reached the island. A further 203 people arrived on Gran Canaria and 50 on Tenerife. The provisional tally included 108 women and 167 minors among those rescued. Eight vessels belonging to the Spanish Sea rescue and the Guardia Civil.
According to RTVC, the number of people rescued in one day is the highest since records began on this route. The previous figure, the report says, was 1,461 people on 7 November 2020. The newspaper El Hierro Hoy and the Dutch public broadcaster NOS also give these figures. The tally for 14 November is provisional; it does not include any later operations.
On El Hierro, the arrivals were spread across the ports of La Restinga and La Estaca. According to a report by El Hierro Hoy, the operations began during the night and continued into the evening. The newspaper describes, among other things, a boat carrying 214 people, whose passengers were taken aboard by rescue vessels and the Guardia Civil and distributed between the two ports.
Another boat carrying 240 people reached La Restinga after a six-day crossing from Gunjur in Gambia, according to RTVC. The Atlantic crossing links the West African coast with the islands belonging to Spain. According to the report, there were 12 women and 36 minors among the people on this boat.
Emergency workers assisted those arriving at the ports. In Arguineguín on Gran Canaria, 17 people from a boat had to be taken to hospital after receiving initial treatment, according to RTVC; on Tenerife, another person was taken there. According to the local report, 158 people were transferred from El Hierro to Tenerife on a regular vessel during Saturday. This transfer should be distinguished from arrivals by boat.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).