Almost 1,500 migrants arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands on Saturday, the highest number in a single day since 2020, as a surge in crossings from West Africa continued into the autumn.
Spain’s maritime rescue service picked up 1,488 people from 14 boats, the EFE news agency reported on Sunday. The previous one-day record was 1,461 people rescued on 7 November 2020.
Twelve of the boats arrived at El Hierro, one of the smallest and least densely populated of the islands, with one more each reaching Gran Canaria and Tenerife. One boat alone was carrying 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children. The rescued migrants were taken to El Hierro, and most were from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Conakry.
The arrivals add to a sharp increase in crossings since October that has put reception and emergency services under strain, particularly on the smaller islands. Spain’s Territorial Policy Minister, Angel Victor Torres, was due to visit El Hierro on Sunday to discuss the surge with local officials.
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest migration crossings. Thousands of people attempt the journey each year in overcrowded boats, facing rough seas, strong currents and long distances in the hope of reaching Spanish territory.
Arrivals tend to pick up in the autumn, when sea conditions along the route are generally calmer and more favourable for crossings. Even so, the total number of arrivals between January and 31 October was down 5.5 per cent on the same period last year, according to government figures, so the latest surge follows a year in which crossings had fallen.
The figures in this article rest on EFE’s reporting, as carried by Reuters, citing Spain’s maritime rescue service.
Sources: Reuters — “Nearly 1,500 migrants arrive in Canary Islands in one day” (https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nearly-1500-migrants-arrive-canary-islands-one-day-2026-11-15/)
