An inflatable boat with 53 migrants on board, including a pregnant woman who died during the crossing, was located on Tuesday by a fishing boat off Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, the Spanish authorities reported.
Second or Spanish Maritime Rescue of the Island’s Emergency Department, the Salvamar Al Nair ship rescued all the occupants of the drunken boat, notably 42 men, seven women and three minors of sub-Saharan origin and North Africa, as well as the women’s body pregnant.
The 52 survivors arrived, apparently in good health, at the port of Arrecife, the capital of the island of Lanzarote, at 11:00 a.m. and received first aid on the spot.
The boat was located shortly after 9:00 am by a small fishing boat that operated in the area. The trawler crew offered water and biscuits to the migrants until the Salvamar Al Nair arrived.
This is the second boat with migrants rescued this Tuesday off Lanzarote. During the early hours of this Tuesday, another inflatable boat was located with 53 people, including ten women and a minor.
In recent weeks, a succession of boats have arrived in the Canary Islands, favored by the good weather conditions at sea, some boats carrying more than 150 people.
Until June 15 -according to the latest data released by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior-, 5,914 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands by boat, a figure clearly lower than that of 2022 (-31.5%), but with signs of recovery.
The first half of June represented 25% of all the people rescued since the beginning of the year.
According to official data, the Canary Islands have just gone through the busiest fortnight in arrivals this year, with 1,508, a figure that easily exceeds the 1,036 in the second half of February and the 1,018 in mid-May.
Counting the last two fortnights, from May 15 to June 15, it was observed that the rescues on these dates add up to 2,526 people, 42% of the total number of months this year.
Source: TSF
