SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 4th Feb (EUROPA PRESS) –
During the night and early morning, Maritime Rescue intercepted four boats carrying 182 people. One is awaiting a count on land, sailing towards the islands of Gran Canaria and El Hierro. Meanwhile, a fifth boat arrived by its own means to Fuerteventura with 53 people, as reported by sources from the public organization, the Red Cross and Cecoes 1-1-2.
The first rescue operation commenced around 2:40 a.m. when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Las Palmas received a notice from the Civil Guard reporting a canoe sailing 9 miles from Arguineguín.
At around 3:30 a.m., the sea rescue vessel ‘Macondo’ sighted the vessel and escorted it to port. The boat carried 37 sub-Saharan men who were in good health, resulting in no transfers to health centers.
Around 5:40 a.m., Maritime Rescue received a warning from a sailboat after spotting a canoe adrift 74 miles south of El Hierro. The Rescue Center in Tenerife mobilized the sea guard ‘Talia’, who was more than 3 hours away from the given position, during which time the sailboat remained close to the cayuco that she had sighted.
At approximately 9:40 a.m., the crew of the sea guard ‘Talia’ began the approach maneuver and rescued the 55 sub-Saharan people on board, all men. They are being taken to the La Restinga dock, with an expected arrival around 2:00 p.m.
Around 06:15 hours, the sea guard ‘Talia’ informed the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Tenerife of a suspicious echo 4 miles from La Restinga, resulting in the mobilization of the sea guard ‘Adhara’, based in El Hierro. At around 7:00 a.m., it reported being next to a canoe and proceeded to escort it to port with 90 sub-Saharan people, including two children.
Shortly before 8:30 a.m., a notification was received from the Civil Guard reporting another cayuco 8 miles south of La Restinga. The Maritime Rescue Center mobilized the ‘Adhara’ rescue boat, which sighted it around 9:00 a.m. and proceeded to accompany it to port, where a count of the people on board will be made.
625 Arrivals on Saturday
On Saturday, at 9:00 p.m., the Civil Guard notified Maritime Rescue of a canoe’s presence 12 miles south of Gran Canaria. The Rescue Center in Las Palmas mobilized the rescuer ‘Macondo’, which at around 9:40 p.m. sighted the boat and escorted it to Arguineguín. On board were 54 sub-Saharan men, including 3 minors.
In the afternoon, around 6:40 p.m., a new alert from the Civil Guard reported a canoe sailing 14 miles south of Arguineguín. Once the sea rescuer ‘Macondo’ was mobilized, it located the canoe around 7:35 p.m. and escorted it to port with 91 sub-Saharan people on board. After being assisted by SUC health personnel, Red Cross volunteers, and Primary Care, three transfers were made to health centers for different pathologies.
Ten irregular boats arrived in the Canary Islands on Saturday, bringing a total of 625 migrants. Specifically, they reached the islands of El Hierro, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, and Fuerteventura, three of them by their own means.
