Almost 160 people were rescued from two boats northeast of Lanzarote yesterday after a Maritime Rescue operation unexpectedly developed into a second rescue while crews were travelling towards the first vessel.

The operation began on Monday morning after they received a telephone call from one of the occupants of an inflatable boat that was attempting to reach the Canary Islands.

Information provided during the call indicated that the boat had departed from Agadir, in southern Morocco, carrying approximately 107 people.

The vessel was reported to be around 110 kilometres northeast of Lanzarote.

Maritime Rescue initially diverted a merchant vessel towards the area while two of its own rescue boats based in Lanzarote, the Salvamar Al Nair and Salvamar Ácrux, headed out to locate the inflatable.

However, the operation took an unexpected turn while the Ácrux was travelling towards the reported position.

Second boat discovered during rescue operation

The crew encountered a separate wooden boat carrying another group of people.

There were 50 people aboard the second vessel: 46 men, two women and two minors.

The Ácrux rescued everyone from the wooden boat and took them safely aboard.

Meanwhile, the Al Nair continued towards the original inflatable boat and subsequently located and rescued approximately 107 people who were travelling on it.

At the time the initial information was released, Maritime Rescue had not yet provided a definitive breakdown of the people aboard the inflatable, meaning the final overall total remained subject to confirmation.

Both Maritime Rescue vessels subsequently returned to Lanzarote, arriving at the port of Arrecife at approximately 6:50pm on Monday where the occupants were met by medical teams.

The waters between the northwest African coast and the Canary Islands continue to be the scene of significant Maritime Rescue activity.

Boats travelling towards Lanzarote and Fuerteventura can spend prolonged periods at sea, with occupants facing dehydration, exposure and changing maritime conditions during the crossing.