ALMOST 1,000 migrants have been rescued whereas attempting to achieve the Canary Islands over the weekend.
Spain’s maritime rescue service reported a complete of 914 rescues throughout the archipalego between Friday and Sunday.
It implies that greater than 2,000 migrants have arrived on the islands since Christmas Day, studies Cadena Ser.
A lot of the arrivals have been of sub-Saharan origin and the bulk have been males, with some ladies and kids recorded.
It comes after a report this month mentioned 10,400 migrants died whereas attempting to achieve Spain by sea this yr.
On common, 30 migrants died day by day in 2024 trying to achieve the nation by boat, in keeping with migrant organisation Caminando Fronteras.
The general loss of life toll rose by 58% in comparison with final yr, the report added.
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Tens of hundreds of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands which has been more and more used as a stepping stone to get asylum in mainland Spain and the remainder of Europe.
Caminando Fronteras mentioned a lot of the 10,457 deaths recorded up till December 15 happened alongside that crossing, the so-called Atlantic route — thought of one of many world’s most harmful.
The organisation compiles its figures from households of migrants and official statistics of these rescued.
It included 1,538 kids and 421 ladies among the many lifeless with April and Could the deadliest months, in keeping with the report.
Caminando Fronteras additionally famous a ‘sharp enhance’ in 2024 in boats leaving from Mauritania, which it mentioned grew to become the principle departure level on the path to the Canaries.
In February, Spain pledged €210 million in support to Mauritania to assist it crack down on human smugglers and cease boat journeys.
Spain’s inside ministry says greater than 57 700 migrants reached Spain by boat as much as December 15 this yr – a roughly 12% enhance on the identical interval in 2023.