The Maritime Rescue service coordinated on Sunday three nearly simultaneous rescue operations, two approximately 60 miles south of El Hierro and the third, around 23 miles south of Tenerife, involving approximately 200 individuals based on preliminary data from emergency services.
The three vessels were detected one after another in a brief timeframe, thanks to the crew of the Sasemar 102 aircraft, which had departed from its base in Gran Canaria on a scheduled flight, as reported by sources from the public agency.
At noon, the Sasemar 102 aircraft notified the Maritime Rescue Centre in Tenerife about the sighting of a Cayuco located about 60 miles south of Restinga.
The maritime controllers dispatched the Salvamar Adhara and contacted a nearby merchant vessel, Dominica, which altered its course to that position and was instructed to escort the Cayuco until the rescue unit arrived.
Meanwhile, the Sasemar 102 remained within visual range of the Cayuco.
At 14:30, Alvamar Adhara detected the Cayuco and initiated a manoeuvre to approach it, succeeding in rescuing approximately 60 individuals on board, all of whom were sub-Saharan and appeared to be in good health.
Archive photo of a Cayuco’s arrival in the Canary Islands / María G. San Narciso
While the rescue boat was returning to La Restinga port, the Sasemar 102 spotted another Cayuco and had to alter its course to assist it by escorting it until the Salvamar Acrux arrived.
On its return flight, the Sasemar 102 identified a third Cayuco 23 miles south of Tenerife, where the Salvamar Alpheratz was dispatched.
Saturday
On Saturday evening, the rescue service assisted 124 individuals aboard a patera and a Cayuco in waters near Gran Canaria, including five women and a young child.
The first alert was received on Saturday afternoon following a radar echo from the Integrated External Surveillance System (Sive) of the Civil Guard, which detected a fragile vessel about 16 nautical miles (around 30 kilometres) from Arguineguín.
The rescue coordinating centre (CCS) in Las Palmas deployed Salvamar Macondo, which located and escorted the Cayuco to port, where the occupants disembarked shortly after ten o’clock at night, local time.
This boat carried 64 men of sub-Saharan origin.
Additionally, on Saturday afternoon, there was a report of a patera headed for the Canary Islands that had departed from Aaiún (Western Sahara). Following several attempts, the CCS in Las Palmas obtained its position and redirected a merchant ship sailing in the area, while mobilising Guardamar Urania.
A Cayuco in El Hierro waters in January. / Europa Press
The merchant confirmed around 22:12 (local time) that it had found a patera carrying migrants, and it was requested to escort it until Guardamar Urania could arrive on the scene, intervening only if needed.
The State Society vessel concluded the rescue operation at 00:40 hours (local time) on Sunday.
There were 60 individuals of sub-Saharan and Maghreb origin in evident good health, including five women and a young child, who were disembarked at the Arguineguín dock at 03:30 hours (island time).
